The White Mage
by Little Mockingjay
Summary: Post-season 3 AU. Viren, Claudia and Aaravos reappear, sowing their power through the beings of Xadia who refuse peace with the humans. When Callum's relationship with Rayla makes them targets, his latest goal of becoming an archmage, despite the dangers he is warned it could bring, is intensified to protect her and others. Meanwhile, Rayla remembers Viren's mysterious collection.
1. Silver Tongues And Waiting Ears

**Disclaimer: **I don't own The Dragon Prince.

**Chapter One: Silver Tongues and Waiting Ears**

A year. It had been a full year – maybe a little more - since the battle. Since they were confined to this miserable cave, living on the run like fugitives. Claudia wasn't entirely sure; all she knew was that winter had come and gone and it seemed to be another summer. Whatever the case, it was now late morning. She and her father had spoken before of what they had planned to do after they leave, which they would; Claudia refused to spend the rest of her life in some damp cave with an oversized cocoon and the rotted, butchered remains of some Sunfire elf. He'd already been injured, she reasoned to herself for maybe the thousandth time, but not so far gone that he was dead. Just weak enough that she could choke what life there was away. It was hardly her fault that he was a fine candidate for the level of dark magic she needed to bring her father back, not to mention providing her with a generous harvest, all essential to the spell. Besides, her father would be the one to save humanity; what was the life of a single elf to something like that?

It was just them now. Mom was gone and Soren was a traitor. Admittedly, Claudia had been taken aback with how quickly her father disregarded Soren entirely; he was no longer any different than the dragons and elves he had chosen to frolic with like a fool. Those had been Viren's very words, his voice as cold as a sudden icy wind, when Claudia had brought her brother up. He was every bit as dead to him as their – her – mother. They didn't talk about Soren these days. He had, in her father's words, joined the princes in their Xadian sympathies.

The princes. She hadn't liked having Ezran in the line of fire like that, but Viren had insisted that it was absolutely necessary; Ezran and his brother were traitors to their kingdom and their father. Therefore, they would join their precious elves and dragons in the fates they had chosen for themselves. This line of thought, as it had countless times already, turned her mental attention to Callum. She had seen him performing magic on the battlefield but assumed that he must have gotten a hold of another primal stone; it was just too far away to see. When her father told her of a spell that granted the boy flight, with no primal stone in sight, she couldn't believe it. Callum was a human, he couldn't do magic without a primal stone, and he certainly wouldn't let her father fall to his death in favor of some elf he'd only known for a month. Claudia believed that it had been a hallucination brought on by stress or something, but her father stubbornly refused this.

"Claudia!" Her father's voice pulled her from her musings, and she retreated into the cave, hidden from the rest of the world. Viren was looking better these days; bruiseless, unhurt and now standing, if somehow frailer. Claudia herself was paler, with circles under her now somehow duller eyes, whether from the lack of decent sleep or the dark magic, she didn't know, and the white portion of her hair was droopy no matter what she tried to do; it just wouldn't do what she wanted anymore. Propped against the wall were the two staffs, Viren's and the corrupted staff of the Sunfire elves, the now ruined, bloodstained and misshapen crown of Katolis, and a pouch of coins that she had always been forbidden to open.

The massive chrysalis was cracking. Claudia could feel her heart pounding. Viren had seemed well enough to travel for several months now, but he had insisted that they wait for his friend to emerge. They couldn't go home, not after what they'd done to half the population of the human kingdoms, and her father's face must have been well known in parts of Xadia by now. With nowhere to go, they needed his friend to help them plan their next move, even if it kept them in this miserable cave living off hastily gathered fruits.

A massive crackling sound pulsed through the otherwise silent cave; a large split had caused the cocoon to give a jerk. A hand emerged from the shell, gripping the edge, and another hand did the same with the other side before the creature straightened, slowly pulled itself out and freed itself of the now empty binding. It was fully clothed, dry and moved with more grace then most insects that went through this change.

It was an elf. A tall, regal elf, unlike any being she'd ever seen before. He had deep blue skin, long white hair, markings beneath his eyes that looked like diamonds, a light dusting of star-like freckles across his nose, and the largest horns Claudia had ever seen on an elf. Most captivating, though, were those sly, sharp eyes that seemed to know far more then they let on.

Rather than either of the humans, who held their breaths and watched him keenly, his eyes were trained on Viren's staff. He walked over to it, picked it up and ran a thumb over the large jewel almost lovingly. "Ah, for those times back. Elarion, old Ziard. Such fragile beings, you humans."

"Aaravos." Viren spoke, getting the elf's attention. He looked at the pair and gave a sly grin.

"At last. You are looking well, Viren." He spoke in a silky, alluring voice. "I trust any…liable parties have been eliminated?"

"They have." Viren said, now sounding more confident and it was clear they were talking about Soren. Claudia had to admit she found it unsettling how easily her father talked about his son with the same detached disappointment he had spoken of their mother before she became a none-entity in his life. Would Soren be erased the same way? "One weak link nearly broke the chain, but at least he had the sense to leave with what dignity he still had. Not that that was ever much."

"And this is Claudia, is it not?" the elf asked, looking at her. Her heartrate picked up in a slight panic that she couldn't explain.

"She is." Viren spoke, eyeing Aaravos with suspicion. The elf nodded and Claudia let out her breath when he looked away from her and back to her father.

"Lovely. Now that introductions are out of the way." Aaravos spoke. He slowly walked over to the center of the cave, stopping to look at the body of the Sunfire elf. The humans stiffened, unsure of how he would react to a fellow elf being used to resurrect a human.

"What a senseless waste." Aaravos said, sounding uncaring. "And it could have been avoided if not for that little elf playing Dragonguard. I'd venture to say, this particular death is on her hands rather than yours." His eyes slid to look at Claudia, who braced herself. Her father had told her that a young Moonshadow elf had been responsible for his fall. She wasn't sure if it was Callum and Ezran's friend from before or a different elf, but she'd immediately decided that whoever it was would pay dearly for their crime.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Viren approached Aaravos and Claudia followed him. It was too easy to see how frail her father had become, the weak frame, the smaller steps. Dark magic wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing. She supposed she would just need to talk to him about rejuvenation spells.

Aaravos stabbed the ground with the end of the staff and continued to palm the jewel. "Place your hands on the staff. Then close your eyes and keep them closed." Aaravos continued to clutch the staff, Viren firmly wrapping his hand around the neck and Claudia doing the same. The exhilarating pulse of primal magic filled the cave as the elf spoke, "Aspectu."

Suddenly, there was a burst of light. Viren and Claudia's eyes somehow didn't need to adjust. The three of them were at the top of the Storm Spire. Aaravos had reverted to the phantom Verin and Verin alone was familiar with, and a quick once over revealed to the dark mages that they themselves had taken on similar forms.

"Welcome to the astral plain, my friends. No cause for alarm here." Aaravos said. The way he looked at them from the very corner of a narrowed eye made him look dangerous. "As part of my punishment, I was stripped of my power before my imprisonment in that accursed mirror. The Dragon Prince, though, has gifted us enough power for this, at least. We can see and hear them, while they are fully unaware of our presence. Useful, is it not?"

Before Viren could answer, the sight before them rendered them speechless, and in Claudia's case came with an unexpected rush of anger. There she was, Callum and Ezran's friend whose name she had forgotten. She was pretty sure it had something to do with light, but whatever. The elf had grown a little taller and filled out a bit, though her frame was still overall scrawny. She wore clothes that were strange, but familiar at the same time; a fancy purple and blue outfit that looked like it marked her as some sort of royal guard; a fashion that was familiar to Claudia who had grown up in a royal court. Beside her was an immense dragon, far bigger than any creature Claudia had seen yet. Scales and horns the color of the night sky, a white mane, and deep blue eyes; what a flawless specimen.

Dragon and elf were sitting outside the cave mouth, seemingly enjoying the calm summer morning. Claudia had never seen an elf look so peaceful; they were usually angry or in the case of their friend back at the cave, fearful. If not for those horns, facial markings and creepy four-fingered hands, the girl might actually be able to pass for a human. No matter, a single look from her father told Claudia that this had been his killer, which meant she would pay the price for her wrongdoing if it was the last thing Claudia did.

"I am a Startouch elf, and an archmage besides." Aaravos told them, keeping his eyes squarely on the younger elf. "I can glimpse certain pieces of knowledge while on the astral plain. For instance –" Aaravos closed his eyes and paused. A smile creeped onto his face. "Hmm. Interesting."

"What?" Viren asked.

"The two Moonshadow elves you battled to acquire the egg." Aaravos said. Viren had spied the mirror then and had gone back for it at a later date; it wasn't hard to imagine that Aaravos had somehow seen the altercation from the mirror. "That young elf is their offspring. Quite interesting. And sad that she should have rejected the little family reunion you so kindly offered."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence." Claudia found herself saying. She didn't know why, but this revelation made her uneasy. Maybe it was the same reason she chose to see the egg as a weapon rather than an unborn baby dragon; if she acknowledged that these creatures had families of their own, loved ones, it would humanize them, and they weren't humans. They were mindless animals, vile dragons and bloodthirsty elves, incapable of love or loyalty. Nothing more.

"Possibly." Aaravos said, closing his eyes again, and this time he couldn't suppress the dark chuckle. "Well, well, well. Here's something more…useful. And they called me an abomination."

"Well?" Viren pressed impatiently.

"That young elf's bond with the human mage." the Startouch elf said. "It can be of great use to us if we can properly harness it."

"Human mage?" Claudia questioned. What other human mages were there besides herself and her father, at least one that the elf would know?

As if on cue, four figures appeared through the clouds, two larger and two smaller. The smaller, lighter creatures came barreling down to the plateau and landed with a pair of pint-sized crashes. They were the Dragon Prince and what looked like a baby moon phoenix. The Dragon Prince, who popped up like a piece of rubber and shook himself free of dust, seemed to be more experienced than the clumsy moon phoenix chick, who struggled to get from belly to feet.

"An excellent flight, Azymondias." The Dragon Queen spoke, her voice much calmer and more maternal than either human could ever have imagined of the beast that ordered King Harrow killed. The prince chirped and hopped over to his mother, his chin thrusted in the air proudly. Mother and guardian laughed at this little display before the elf stood up and stepped forward to pick up the moon phoenix chick.

"I think we should be thinking of getting you back to Lujanne, Phoe-phoe." She said as she held the little fluffball to her cheek. It gave her hair a playful tug. "I certainly don't like the idea of her coming here to get you." Phoe-phoe gave the elf a squeal in response.

The two larger figures touched down far more gracefully then the younger flyers. In watching this little scene, none of the phantoms had seen them approaching. One was a Skywing elf and the other…Claudia had to do a double take. Was that Callum?

He was taller and less stalky. In place of his arms were a pair of large brown wings which were now shrinking along with those of the elf, shaping back into their human forms and feathers retracting and disappearing. His arms, which she realized were surprisingly tone along with the rest of his frame, bore white runes and his jacket was gone. His hair was even messier than usual; windswept, she guessed. The grayish-blue clothes he now wore seemed more elven, though not skintight as Claudia often saw on elves. Around his neck was the old scarf he had worn since they were small, this being the only familiar article he wore. It occurred to her that his birthday had passed in the last month, and he had been a month away from fifteen at the time of the battle; he was sixteen now. He held himself higher now and he radiated a confidence she had never seen from him before.

"Callum, this is amazing." The Skywing elf told him, his eyes beaming with pride. "I still have family back home who refuse to believe that I'm teaching a human who has connected to a primal source."

Claudia blinked and stared in astonishment. But…that was impossible.

"Yeah, I don't really know how people back home will react. Everyone'll probably ask where I'm hiding the primal stone."

The two chuckled. The elf gave Callum a bittersweet look. "My friend, I deeply regret this, but there is no more you can learn from me. It has been a very long time since I've had this much fun training a pupil or have one who picked the spells up so quickly. From this day on, Prince Callum of Katolis, consider yourself a full-fledged sky mage."

Callum had tears in his eyes and a huge smile on his face, and the Skywing elf was caught off-guard when Callum hugged him. The surprised look on the elf's face was quickly replaced with a fond smile as he returned the hug. After a few seconds, they ended the embrace and walked to the others. The Moonshadow elf ran up to them and Claudia's attention was captured when she ran right into Callum's arms. Anger began to serge through her veins when she witnessed a kiss. Callum? And that…that _elf_? It was…It was just sick.

"Disgusting." Came Viren's snarling voice, a look of fury on his face. "King Harrow was good enough to take him in as a son, and he repays the king's kindness by cavorting with his murderers."

"All the more reason to stop them." Aaravos said. "The dragons alone hold the power in this world, with elves being a distant second, blind servants to the beasts. You claim to be working for humanity, Viren, and in that way, we are allies. My goal is merely to even out the playing field; grant the powerless the same opportunities as the others. As is typical, though, the most powerful jealously cling to the positions which allow them to dominate and abuse those they deem lesser beings. The dragons cannot be reasoned with. If humans are to flourish, these creatures must be eliminated on a global scale, and should the elves give us trouble, then they, too, shall join their masters."

"Yes." Viren said, his eyes trained on the massive queen of the dragons. "And once Xadia's highest powers are no more, I'll return to Katolis for my throne." he stopped. "No. I'll return to the human kingdoms for my throne, and lead my subjects to greatness, finally secure and free of the dragons and elves."

Claudia wasn't listening, she continued to watch Callum and his…friend. She knew Moonshadow elves were about illusions and trickery and there was no doubt in her mind anymore that Soren had been right the first time: this little floozy had done something to captivate Callum and was playing with his heart, maybe even using him for his power. It certainly would explain why he had saved her from death but allowed Viren to fall, as he claimed. The elf squealed in laughter when he grabbed her, pulled her to him and kissed her forehead. He was now half a head taller than her. Claudia's eyes narrowed in anger when she saw the elf whisper something in his ear that caused him to laugh. She could feel her fingers itching to curl around that little temptress's throat.

"Take whatever else you want, just remember one thing;" her words were venomous and dangerous as she fantasized about everything that she could do with all those parts, and how satisfying the harvest would be. "The Moonshadow elf is mine."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** These are my predictions for the as-of-yet unconfirmed season four and perhaps onward. Aspectu is Latin for 'sight'. Review.


	2. Homeward

**Chapter Two: Homeward**

Callum had to admit, the Moon Nexus wasn't as grand in the daytime. The place was pleasant enough with fascinating images around every corner and lovely scenery wherever one looked, but he supposed it made sense that the true majesty of the place would be dependent on moonlight. Last night, just coming off of a full moon, the lake had been breathtaking. He'd almost wished Rayla was with him, and they could have spent the night at the beautiful Moon Nexus. She had chosen to stay at the Storm Spire to keep the queen company, but Zym was with him for this trip.

He was on his way to Katolis to see Ezran. The news he had for him, of Callum's ascension to a full sky mage, was too important for a letter. The Moon Nexus was a pitstop along the way, where he could also return Phoe-phoe to Lujanne. Zym and Phoe-phoe continued to play, with the moon mage keeping careful watch over them. Callum moved to stand beside her.

"It looks like you'll need to bring Zym back to play every once in a while. Phoe-phoe is always quite a handful during this stage." Lujanne told him before she looked at him and smiled. "If I hadn't seen those mage wings myself, I wouldn't have believed it. I would like to apologize for my words before, Callum. Even if it seemed almost silly at the time, I had no right to dismiss you like that."

"It's okay." Callum said, his grin dropping when he saw a troubled look appear on her face.

"May I assume that you seek to master all six primal sources?" Lujanne asked, now looking unusually serious. Callum looked at her, startled enough to forget about her clear discomfort at her own question.

"Master of all six." Callum whispered. He'd heard it before, he knew it was possible and truth be told, he liked the idea. He rummaged through his bag and pulled out his cube. He could imagine how beautiful it would look with all six runes lit up at once. The moon rune was shining brightly despite the daylight. Lujanne's eyes widened.

"The Key of Aaravos." she said with something that could have been wonder or horror. "How…Where did you find it?"

"It's been in my family for generations." Callum told her. "I don't know where it came from or how we got a hold of it." Lujanne looked at him seriously. It seemed that she had been sidetracked from whatever else she was going to say, perhaps a warning, once this cube was revealed to her.

"Callum, you need to keep that key with you at all times. If this key were to fall into the wrong hands, it could spell trouble for Xadia and the humans alike. Does anyone else know about this?"

This intrigued Callum because he had been trying to gather information about this Aaravos figure since the letter had been opened. Occasionally, Callum went with Ibis to his home in Aviana, or until recently ventured to Lux Aurea to see his aunt who had elected to stay for a few months to help the then newly crowned queen before returning home. During visits to these or one of the smaller eleven towns, Callum would ask around about Aaravos, and either get shocked looks or said elf would walk away without a word. There had even been a case in which a mother had covered her child's ears upon the utterance of the name and looked at Callum as if he'd said a dirty word. Any books Callum came across seemed to go entirely black when talking about Aaravos, so all Callum had been able to absorb had been pictures. Rayla had only limited knowledge of him, saying that Aaravos was a dark stain on elven history and had mostly been reduced to a shadowy figure whispered about in nightly children's stories as a dark being who would steal bad little elf children from their beds and deliver them to humans to be used in dark magic. If you didn't do as you were told, eat everything on your plate or keep your grades up, Aaravos would come in the night and snatch you away.

So, apart from his sinister image, Callum had only one new bit of knowledge about him; he was a powerful elven archmage who once owned Callum's cube, but his fellow elves seemed to regard him as a malevolent figure and were either too ashamed or too fearful to talk about him. He figured, than, that he would get nothing out of Lujanne that he hadn't already heard from Janai or Ibis; namely that all he needed to know was that Aaravos was a dangerous being and he shouldn't start digging around for answers that someone had buried for a reason.

"I don't think anyone else knows the details." Callum said. "Ezran and Rayla know I have it, but I don't think they realize what it is. The only reason I even know what it's called is because of a letter from my stepdad. I guess I'll have to tell Ez when he gets older and Rayla deserves to know." Lujanne let out a heavy sigh. Callum decided he didn't like seeing her like this, he preferred her more friendly, more kind mood.

"I'd be glad to teach you moon magic." she told him before her face darkened further. "But be warned, Callum, archmages have gone crazy with the immense power of all arcanums. All together, it is every bit as seductive and easily corruptible as dark magic. Rare as archmages are, rarer still is the archmage that manages to hold on to themselves."

"I'll swear any oaths you want." Callum said, meaning it in spite of his eager tone. He calmed down. "If I do become an archmage, I won't go crazy with it. I'm not worth any more or less than anyone else, and I won't lose sight of that."

"We can only wait and see, but I do have faith in you." Lujanne said, her kind - almost loving - smile returning to her face, emphasizing her point with a hand on his shoulder. "As long as you promise to be careful, we can begin whenever you'd like."

"I'll let you know in a month. First, I need to see Ezran and after that I need to try and convince Rayla to let me do this. I don't think she likes you." Callum said, and Lujanne's familial smile became more of a playful grin as she dropped her hand from his shoulder.

"I shall await your decision." She said and developed an even more mischievous look in her eyes. "Oh, and if you can convince Rayla to come back with you, I do rather miss our talks."

Callum grinned, walked a respectable distance away from her and spread his arms out. Zym, perhaps sensing it was time to go, bounded up to him and climbed onto his shoulders. He spoke the incantation, the runes on his arms lighting up, and Lujanne watched in wonder as his mage wings appeared and he took off. The moon mage continued to watch him as his form became smaller and smaller in the sky, her smile dropping.

"Keep an open mind, Callum." She warned quietly. "There's no telling when reality will fall to delusion."

In flight, Callum looked down at the earth below him. Familiar places zoomed by; the foot of the cursed caldera, the snowy village, snowy mountain, and the icy lake, which bore the scars of holes and cracks. He looked at Zym as he flew over the lake; the little dragon was more interested in the snow falling around them, oblivious to how those cracks in the lake below had nearly been his doom. Callum pressed on, relishing the warm front that washed over him as they left the chilly air. The large river was easily spotted, and he followed it to the winter lodge.

Feeling the flying take its toll, Callum landed before the lodge. It was small compared to the Storm Spire, secluded and familiar; as good a place as any for a small break. His mage wings retracted, and he stretched his arms out as the muscles relaxed. Zym hopped down from his shoulders and began sniffing around excitedly, probably catching his and Ezran's scents all over the place. Callum looked around. Aside from the missing boat and the arrow in the tree, the place looked the same as always. Huh. Callum could have sworn that there had been a braid on that arrow. Weird, but probably not important as he picked Zym up and carried him into the lodge, shutting the door behind him. If anyone came around this time, Callum would prefer not to be disturbed.

The lodge was quiet. As Callum had observed once, there was nothing to do at the winter lodge in summer, so he dozed off for maybe twenty or thirty minutes before the image of the Key of Aaravos jolted him awake. When he awoke, he resisted the urge to dig it out of his bag and look at it, if only because he'd contemplate the things Lujanne had said another day, once he got back to the Storm Spire. Surely Queen Zubeia would be a wiser council than Lujanne. Callum did respect her as a mage and he was eager to learn from her, but it was also easy to see where Rayla's lack of patience with her came from.

Callum let out a heavy sigh as he got up from the couch and gave himself a nice, comfortable stretch. Within the hour, he'd be back at the palace, and he would reveal everything to the others. "C'mon, Zym. Ez is just a few miles away." The dragonling gave a happy chirp and jumped back on to Callum's shoulder as he left the lodge.

* * *

Things were equally still at the Storm Spire. Rayla was sitting on a step in the main room, staring at the spot where Viren had once imprisoned her with the ice spell. Callum had left three days ago for Katolis, so it figured that she would suffer a nightmare while he was gone.

She had been imprisoned in the ice again, and this time Bait couldn't come to her rescue. She had been stuck in that ice until Viren had returned with the horrifying image of a still, limp baby dragon under his arm. Rayla's ears were filled with a ring that stopped her from hearing what the dark mage said as she beheld the precious Dragon Prince; the sweet creature she, Callum and Ezran had worked so hard to keep alive in hopes of righting a wrong, now silent, unmoving and lifeless. The next sensation she felt had been fire. An all-consuming, overwhelming pain coursing through her veins and overtaking her mind. She could barely register her own screaming. She had woken up in a cold sweat with a pounding heart and a face wet from tears. It had taken a few horrible minutes to remember where she was.

She could still hear him.

'_It will be a pleasure to add another Moonshadow elf to my collection.'_

Collection? Of Moonshadow elves? What did he mean? Why was she suddenly remembering after all this time? And why did she feel that pit of dread in her stomach when she thought of it? All she knew was that seeing that little pouch had made her feel like throwing up. She felt the vibrations in the ground from the queen's movements before any of her other senses picked her up. Rayla didn't move as the massive dragon settled down near her.

"What troubles you, young one?" she asked in a voice that seemed far too patient and kind for her formidable appearance.

"Just a nightmare last night." Rayla said distantly, her eyes still focused on the spot. "It was pure luck that we managed to save Zym. If just one thing had happened differently than –"

"There, there." the queen soothed. "It was just a dream. We are in the waking world, where miracles can truly happen." Rayla didn't seem to respond.

"Have you made the choice of whether or not the Dragonguard is going to be reassembled?" the elf asked, wanting to change the subject.

"I am still unsure." Queen Zubeia confessed, choosing to humor her only current guard in her silent request to drop the subject. "Twice now, the guard has failed to protect their king; first with the old archdragon Sol Regem and again with my dear Avizandum."

"They saved your son, though." Rayla's voice was wistful and soft.

"Yes." Zubeia nodded. "Lain and Tiadrin. Two of the most courageous and dependable elves I have met from any Dragonguard. It disheartened me to find them gone along with my egg. A part of me simply couldn't reconcile the rumors of their abandonment with the brave elves I knew them to be."

Rayla looked away, ashamed. She hadn't just told herself that they were dead; for a while, she had tried to force herself to believe it. Runaan had quickly put a stop to it and forced her to face her parents' cowardice. Even then, she couldn't bring herself to hate them. It was only anger and betrayal she felt, but not hatred. It had never truly been out of hatred, but out of love; when she claimed they were dead, she wasn't envisioning them being butchered like fish. She could only picture them going out in a blaze of glory, fighting to the end like the heroes she'd always seen them as. All this was entirely private, of course, as her fellow elves would never have understood. It was only because of her stupid, noble mage that she knew the truth, and had been the one to tell the queen about it. Even so, did she really have so little faith in her parents? What kind of daughter did that make her?

"I feel like I've known you for years, Rayla." the queen told her, getting her attention. "In times of peace, before the dark mage arrived, they would regale me with tales of their bold, kind-hearted, mischievous daughter. Lain in particular seemed to enjoy bragging about you, which between you and me, I think annoyed some of the other elves. When my egg arrived, they vowed to protect it as fiercely as they would protect you. And because of that, I have my son back. I suppose I owe you more than any of the others."

Rayla's heart swelled with a mixture of love and lingering shame. Her parents had talked about her? Bragged about her? She knew they thought about her with the letters they had sent every year on her birthday, but enough to annoy the other elves on the guard? Was she really their inspiration for the lengths they went to in the protection of the egg? And she had still repaid them by disowning them, regarless of her innermost feelings.

A sudden burst of determination overtook her. Her parents were the sole reason the Dragon Prince lived. If anyone didn't deserve to be disgraced in the way they were, it was them. She owed them far too much to be a part of that bandwagon any longer.

"Your Majesty, I would like to request a day of leave. How fast can you get another dragon here?" Rayla asked.

"They're never far." Queen Zubeia said. "What were you planning to do?" Rayla gave her a look of determination.

"Correct a mistake."

* * *

Callum had a look of pure joy as the palace came into view. It seemed so much longer than the year it had been since he'd seen his old home. He flew over the wall separating the city from the woods and saw people below him staring and watching in wonder. He smiled widely when the amazed gasps of several people reached his ears.

"What in the world?"

"Is that Prince Callum?"

"Look, a dragon!"

Callum somehow ignored the crowd that had gathered to watch him, as well as the wave to nostalgia that washed over him at the familiar sights, sounds and smells, as he landed at the palace gates. His wings disappeared into his arms, causing a fresh cluster of gasps from the crowd. Zym remained on his shoulder and gave a chirp, looking back at the stunned townsfolk with a big, friendly smile.

He entered the open gates and walked through as if nothing was out of the ordinary. The weird looks didn't stop from the guards who were on break, though Callum wasn't sure if it was the fact that he had been gone for so long and came home so suddenly, or the baby dragon hanging off of him and looking like he'd jump off and bound up to anyone like a puppy at any moment.

He ended up doing just that, and Callum watched as he gave a great leap and tackled a very surprised Soren to the ground. Callum laughed as he walked up to them, noting that Soren hadn't changed much at all.

"What the? Zym? How'd you get here? And what have you been eating?" Soren grunted as he sat up and held Zym away from his hair, which the little guy had become very interested in.

"Zym!" Callum called and went over to them, pulling the baby dragon off of Soren.

"Callum?" Soren asked as he got up and brushed himself off before looking the kid over. There was now little height difference between the two, and apart from that Callum had gained some mucle on his arms, probably as a result of all that flying. Other than that, he just didn't look so...kiddish anymore. "What are you doing here? I thought you were back at the spire training with that sky elf."

"Sky_wing_ elf, Soren." Callum corrected and drew himself up proudly. "And not anymore. You are looking at a full-fledged sky mage."

"No. Way." Soren said dramatically with wide eyes. "A human mage? Well, I mean a mage that uses real magic, not the dark stuff."

"I'm here to tell Ezran. I thought this was more of an in-person visit, not just something to put in a letter." Callum said and Soren led him and Zym into the castle. Behind them were a gathering of stunned guards all wondering the same thing; had they heard that right?

The boys talked like old friends as they walked down the corridor to the throne room.

"So, is it just the two of you this time?" Soren asked, and his eyes darted around in a sort of playful weariness. "No Moonshadow elves are gonna come out of the walls and ambush me with wooden swords?"

Callum smiled and shook his head. "That was one time. And anyway, Rayla's back at the Storm Spire. Someone needed to keep Queen Zubeia company while we were gone, especially now that Ibis left."

"Ibis?" Soren questioned.

"My mentor, you remember." said Callum. "He needed to get back to his family in Aviana. He says I'm a prodigy, it usually takes two or three years to learn all those spells, and I had everything mastered in a year and three months. It also turns out sky magic is one of the hardest to learn to start with."

"You're sounding pretty cocky." Soren observed. "If you want, we could go out to the courtyard like old times and I can knock you down a couple of pegs."

"Okay, okay, I get it; no more bragging." Callum said fondly, holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

The boys fell into silence again, and Callum looked around. Despite how much had changed, everything looked the same as it had the night he left. If not for the baby dragon on his shoulder – which seemed to be the little guy's new favorite place as of about seven months ago – the fact that his little brother was on the throne in place of his stepfather, and his refreshing lack of insecurities and uncertainty, it would be just like old times.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I can't be the only one who thinks Callum's second arcanum would be the moon. He's already demonstrated an understanding of the arcanum and has successfully performed moon magic. Review.


	3. Familiar Lands

**Chapter Three: Familiar Lands**

The red dragon who Ezran had befriended, whose name was Pyrrah, had Rayla at the Silvergrove in a matter of minutes. The speed was incredible; maybe she should suggest a dragon to Callum the next time he wanted to take a trip home, rather than the mage wings that, while amazing and cozy to be wrapped in, separated them for days. It was almost embarrassing to her how lonely she felt without him.

Rayla stood on the massive tree root that marked one of several entrances into the village. Pyrrah was under orders from the Dragon Queen to wait for Rayla and give her a ride back to the spire when she returned, and now she was laying under a tree and watching the smaller creatures of the woods scurry around her paws as she relaxed. Rayla hated how nervous she felt, and now she longed to have Callum with her for more than out of simple loneliness. She needed the support he would be giving her right now. Probably some sweet, sappy speech about how she needed to do this, and that this timidity was so unlike her. She could practically hear him saying it and was reminded of his absents when she performed the dance to lift the illusion, alone this time.

The illusion was lifted and the beautiful village was revealed. Rayla forced herself to go in. The shadowpaw that Ethari had lent her and Callum, who had tagged along for the trip, now rushed into the village in what was clearly joy at finally being home. Lucky boy, she mused. Several elves acknowledged the animal as it frolicked by, a few others getting out of its way and others seeming amused by its antics. Faceless elves who payed her no mind. The ghosting hadn't been lifted. Somehow, word must not have gotten to the Silvergrove of her part in the war. Or else, they decided that despite her heroism, that she was still banished for consorting with and fighting alongside humans as equals, no matter the threat. She briefly wondered if word were to get out about her relationship with Callum, if some of these elves would actually come after her themselves, looking to end her.

She smiled at the thought in a sort of bittersweet amusement. This isolation didn't spark the despair that it had during her last visit, maybe because she actually had somewhere else to go if her people refused her. Queen Zubeia had been happy to allow her to live at the spire as a full-time guard, and failing that, Ezran's first official decree as king was that Rayla was welcome in Katolis if ever she wanted to come live with them at the palace. The innocent yet somehow knowing glance he gave his brother and said brother's resulting blush gave her the feeling that Callum was ultimately behind this sudden declaration. She had rewarded him with a bold kiss in full view of everyone. Rayla let out a small laugh as she recalled Callum fumbling in the way he does, trying to explain things to his aunt who really only looked amused. She'd laughed then too, even under Queen Janai's scandalized look, back when the older elf was still not used to such displays.

This train of thought sustained her as she walked to Ethari's forgery. She entered, at first alarmed to find the place empty. She looked around and before panic could begin to mount, she noticed a cracked door with a sound coming from it. Rayla had to admit that there was a perk in being a ghost; she didn't have to worry about being stealthy. Enjoying the short-lived freedom while it lasted, she peeked through the door. It was a large pantry, the walls lined with shelves of fruits and vegetables, bottles of juice, and the occasional prepared delicacy like cakes or jams. Rayla had to admit, she hadn't come here enough to be familiar with the place's layout, but she supposed a pantry wouldn't be out of the question. Smithing was hungry work, after all; most smiths she knew, Ethari included, ate a lot.

Ethari sat at the table in the middle of the room, lazily picking at his bowl of berries. At his side was something that surprised Rayla; a small moonstrider sitting beside him. It must have been a young one with how small it was, only coming up to his waist. That was odd, Rayla thought; it was rare in the village that even small animals were allowed indoors. Rayla couldn't count the number of times where, as a child, she would be scolded by her parents, or later by Runaan and Ethari, for trying to sneak adoraburrs, lunar squirrels or shadowpaw cubs up to her room. The hypocrisy only bothered her for a moment, though; she had a self-appointed but important job to do.

As fast as the flight over here had been, Rayla had had time to think about the possibility of her ghosting being unlifted and how she would get Ethari's attention if that was the case. She had concluded that she was only invisible and silent, but she could still interact with objects. Rayla was quick to retreat to Ethari's desk and rummage through things until she found an ink-plume, a magically modified feather that never needed to be dipped in ink, and a simple slip of paper. She hastily scrawled the message that she was back and they needed to talk urgently. Rayla walked back to the open door, folding the paper along the way.

Her whistle was, of course, unheard by Ethari, but the young moonstrider's ears perked up and he looked at her. He trotted over to her and she couldn't resist the urge to scratch his ears as she presented the note to him. He took it and bounded back to Ethari. Ethari, who up until now looked stoic, gave the animal a curious look as he took the note. His eyes widened at its contents and he stood up.

"Wait here." He said, part of him feeling foolish for speaking to what appeared to be nobody. He swiftly left the room. Rayla sat and waited in another chair, continuing to scratch the moonstrider's ears and chin. She was given appreciative yips in return.

Rayla must have been getting rusty because she didn't notice Ethari approaching her until he placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him as his face appeared. The sight of his familiar, gentle eyes was of great comfort, but he still looked sad.

"Rayla, you can't keep doing this." were his first direct words to her.

"It's important." she told him. "I need to know how to lift the spell. Not for me, for my parents." Ethari gave her a surprised look, waiting for her to carry on. "Mom and Dad didn't abandon the egg, they…I'm not sure what happened, but they didn't run! They were the only ones that did stay, the egg only survived because of them. I'm here to rid myself of the spell. If they ever come back, I want to be able to see them. To talk to them."

"How could you know such a thing?" Ethari asked after a moments silence.

"Callum." Rayla told him, her eyes softening at the memory of the drawing. "He performed a spell using the moon opal you gave me. He's a mage – a real mage who doesn't need a primal stone! We delivered the Dragon Prince to his mother and…that place made me upset. Callum casted a reveal spell and told me about it. I know it's true because he drew a perfect picture of them."

Ethari smiled, his heart warming at the way Rayla's eyes lit up as she talked about this, and he knew at once she was being truthful, among other things. "I can get a stronger spell canceler. A permanent one. Just tell me one thing." Ethari said. "This Callum. He's a human?"

Somehow, Rayla wasn't surprised that half-baked disguise failed to fool anyone. "Yes, but he's not like the rest. Callum is kind and good, he wouldn't dream of hurting anyone here, I know it!"

"True, he didn't really seem like much of a threat." the smith said before looking her in the eyes. "I'll trust your judgment on this, blinded as your little heart is by love." When Rayla looked stunned, Ethari smiled. "You don't seriously think I missed the way you two looked at each other the last time you were here. And those misty eyes of yours just now only confirmed it."

"A-and you're okay with it?" Rayla asked, amazed but also keenly aware of how dangerous it would be if this information got out. His smile disappeared, scaring her for a moment; did Ethari really not approve?

"I'm not thrilled about it." Ethari admitted with a resigned sigh. "A human is a human; they've killed thousands of us over the centuries. But if your heart really is set on him, I guess I can't stop you. I can only hope he's good to you."

"He is." Rayla said, quietly. "Like you said before, I failed them. My actions cost us Runaan and ruined the mission. But somehow, Callum still thinks the world of me. He still loves me."

Ethari's smile was warm and full of a fatherly love for the girl standing before him. His heart gave a painful lurch and his smile fell after a moment. "Rayla, my spell is almost up." he said. "I'll go get a stronger reveal spell for you. Just know that the spell allowing me to see you will be broken by the time I get back." He turned away and headed out the door. In the doorway he stopped and gave her a small look. "Oh, and give Callum my best, will you?"

Rayla nodded and Ethari left her alone in the pantry in the company of the young moonstrider.

* * *

Miles and miles away, in the palace of Katolis, the doors to the throne room opened. Soren and Callum entered, and the young king beamed.

"Callum!" Ezran gasped and hopped off the throne to run to them. "Zym!" The brothers hugged, and Zym climbed down Callum's arm and nuzzled Ezran's cheek with happy puurs. Ezran had grown some, a little taller and his hair seemed a bit more tamable. After a moment, Ezran pulled back a bit awkwardly. "Oh, sorry." he said and gestured to the two royals Callum was frankly embarrassed he hadn't noticed before. He recognized Queen Anya and King Jiro, the new king of Neolandia. Jiro was a nervous, quiet sort who reminded Callum of himself before the quest to return the egg.

"Queen Anya? King…Jiro, was it?" Callum greeted with a court bow. They returned the gesture. "Uh, Queen Anya, you remember the Dragon Prince." The small dragon bounded up to her, walking in a circle playfully, keeping excited eyes on the young queen. Anya smiled as she bent down to pet the small prince.

"Yes, of course, we've met." Anya, who didn't seem like she'd changed much at all, smiled as she gave Zym a brief scratch under the chin. King Jiro, having never seen a dragon in his life, baby or otherwise, looked tense. Callum watched him sympathetically. Having been second born, Jiro probably never expected to take over as king and was feeling lost and unsure even now. Maybe that was why he and Anya were here, to either mend fences or so Ezran could assist Anya in giving another very young ruler some much-needed confidence and advice.

Callum eyed the shiny new crown atop Ezran's head. "New crown?"

"Yeah. The one Viren took was never found, so they finally just made a new one. New crown for a new era, right?" Ezran said. "But I guess that's not why you came all the way here?"

"Nope." Callum said, again drawing himself up. Behind him, Soren rolled his eyes fondly, and was soon jumped on by Zym who again attacked his hair. "The news I have for you is too important to be sent in a letter." Ezran and his fellow royals waited patiently. "My training with Ibis is complete. I'm now a full-fledged sky mage."

"Callum, that's awesome!" Ezran exclaimed and hugged him again. Callum ruffled his hair.

"Than it's true." Jiro said in wonder. "There are rumors all over the place about a human who performed magic during the battle without a primal stone to be seen. A human mage who doesn't use dark magic."

"Sure is." Callum said.

"But that's – "

"Remarkable." Came Gren's voice. Callum turned to see his aunt and Gren arriving behind Soren. He barely had to run at all before she lifted him off the ground in a tight hug. When he was set back down, he took a couple of steps back for distances sake.

'What are you doing here?' Amaya signed.

'I am finished with my training.' Callum was so excited, his fingers fumbled a few times. 'I am a real sky mage now!'

'That is wonderful, C-A-L-L-U-M.' Amaya signed, and her eyes softened. 'Your mother would have been so proud. She always knew you were destined for great things.'

Rather than continuing, Callum just smiled and hugged Amaya again. This one was gentler, more about comfort than celebration. When they broke apart, Callum began signing again.

'So, how is it going with those new recruits?'

'Very well. S-O-R-E-N and I are whipping them into shape as fast as we can.' She replied. 'Thanks to V-I-R-E-N wiping out over half of our army, we'll need all the help we can get should D-E-L B-A-R or E-V-E-N-E-R-E start acting up, which is part of the reason King J-I-R-O and Queen A-N-Y-A are here today, to offer their continued support until we are back to full strength. J-A-N-A-I has also warned me that not every creature in Xadia is thrilled with the promise of peace.'

Callum's face fell. He supposed that made sense; the likes of Sol Regem wouldn't let go of their hatred so easily, not to mention the kinds of elf that had no part in the battle, even if through just a single member who could vouch for them like Ibis and Rayla. 'I will be careful. I promise.' Amaya nodded.

"Are you coming home, than, or are you staying in Xadia?" Ezren asked. Callum turned back to the throne, Amaya stepping back to stand beside Soren.

"I'm staying in Xadia." Callum said. "There's still so much to learn and…what if it's possible for me to connect to more arcanums?"

"You'll come back for more visits, right?" Ezran asked. He didn't seem to register the weight of Callum's question, or else it was simply unimportant to him.

"Definitely." Callum said, smiling.

* * *

It was dusk by the time Rayla emerged from the Silvergrove. In her hand, she held a small pouch of powder. Ethari's simple instructions had been to throw the powder over herself and speak the incantation followed by the names of the redeemed elves, so that's what she did. "Ignosco tibi, Lain et Tiadrin." There were no sparks, noise, tingling, nothing to indicate that the spell had worked. She supposed she wouldn't know for sure until she met them again, something that was, in itself, far from guaranteed.

As Rayla boarded Pyrrah and the dragon took to the sky and flew back toward the spire, neither was aware that they were being watched. If they had some way of seeing the astral plain, they would have seen the Startouch elf and the young dark mage watching Rayla like a pair of hawks as she emerged from her former home and cast that odd spell on herself. While the mage's eyes were locked on the retreating dragon, the Startouch elf looked at the tree root almost greedily.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The incantation for un-ghosting is more Latin because old languages fascinate me, so you guys might want to get used to it. The incantation simply means 'I forgive you'. Also, I looked it up, in sign language names are usually spelled out, for pretty obvious reasons, so that's what that's about. Review.


	4. The Last Flower

**Chapter Four: The Last Flower**

The perfectly warm, starry night and luminous half-moon were lovely, and Callum wished he could enjoy it. He was tired, and relieved when he finally touched down at the main entrance to the Storm Spire. Zym was asleep, and Callum had to shift his posture to keep him from falling to the floor as his wings disappeared.

"Hey, buddy." Callum spoke softly, reaching a hand around himself to give the prince a couple of pets. "Wakey, wakey." His large, blue eyes cracked open sleepily. He managed to climb over Callum's shoulder and into his arms, before letting out a yawn and settling back into sleep. Callum smiled as he carried the baby dragon into the spire and into to the sleeping chambers. He was surprised to find the queen still awake.

"Prince Callum, you're back." Zubeia kept her voice low, her eyes instantly drawn to her sleeping son. Callum nodded, continuing after a moment to Zym's nest and gently laying him in it. The dragon prince curled up comfortably but didn't otherwise stir. "I trust your visit was a joyous one."

"It was." Callum said, also making sure to keep his voice low. "My aunt and brother were so happy to hear the news, and Zym was mostly excited to see Ezran and Soren again. I think he tore out a patch of Soren's hair."

The queen laughed lowly, but happily. "We shall speak more in the morning; you're looking rather tired yourself. Goodnight, Prince Callum."

"Goodnight, Queen Zubeia." Callum bowed before he left, making sure to keep quiet for Zym's sake. Going from the chamber to the main room, he couldn't keep the smile from his face as he made his way through one of the doors that lined the walls. Each of the doors led to large rooms, several of which had been designated living quarters for the Dragonguard. The door he had chosen was the one that led to the only occupied quarters.

The light of the moon outside shown through the large window and lit the place up with a lovely whiteish-blue, illuminating the room. There were some basic necessities; a nightstand beside a large, luxurious bed, a wall shelf holding a few books of runes and spells and a sparse collection of other trinkets, chairs, a table, a desk, and a door leading to a washroom. The one item on the nightstand was a travle-sized portrait of two familiar Moonshadow elves, with a small elf girl, no more than six or seven, on the woman's lap. The girl was beaming with a bright smile, encased safely in her mother's arms and the man's arm was around his wife's shoulders. It was easy to tell from him where his daughter got that cocky smirk of hers. Rayla had said they had it painted a few days before they left for the guard.

Callum's heartbeat picked up as he looked to the bed. Snuggled beneath the thin covers and nestled in a fluffy pillow was Rayla, deep in a peaceful sleep. Callum removed his shoes, tossing them so that they were in the same vicinity as her boots. No longer having to sneak to stay quiet, he approached quickly and sat on the bed. For a moment, he just looked at Rayla with half-open eyes and a content smile. The moonlight spilled over her, and he swore the beams themselves had gotten caught in her hair. She was so beautiful, practically glowing in the soft light. Some days it was hard to believe that such a precious, lovely, amazing woman had honestly chosen him to give her heart to. It almost felt like an honor, a privilege, something he didn't truly deserve. All the same, he'd strive every day for the rest of his life to prove himself worthy of her.

He was reluctant to ruin this hypnotizing image, but he was tired, and his arms were starting to ache from the days of constant flight. As it turned out, flying was every bit as exhausting as walking, just with the added threat of falling to your death should you overestimate yourself. He touched Rayla's face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Her eyes opened, and they were glowing as her as her hair was. She blinked sleepily at him and smiled, lazily reaching out to touch his face.

"You're back." Her voice was thick with sleep.

"I know it's late, but I couldn't stand another night away." Callum told her, taking her hand from his face and softly kissing her fingers. Seeing her half-asleep and in this comfortable bed only heightened his own exhaustion. "Zym's in his nest, he fell asleep a couple of hours ago." He was silenced when Rayla took her hand back to bring a finger to his lips. Green eyes held lilac.

"Tomorrow. Come here."

Her hand fell from his lips and trailed down to his wrist, which she tugged to her. Callum obliged, climbing in, laying down and covering himself. The pillows felt heavenly to him, and the only thing that felt better was Rayla snuggling up to him; contact that his body had sorely missed. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. He used the last of his energy to plant a small kiss on her head before at last drifting off into a blissful sleep.

* * *

The sun had been up for a few hours. Claudia had been chided by Viren several times to keep up and tried to keep her eyes off of all of the amazing creatures and foliage. She told herself there would be time later for sight-seeing and she'd been to Xadia countless times before, but she'd never gone this far into the Moonshadow Forest. Finally, the tree root could be seen. Aaravos, attaired a black cloak allowing him to keep a low profile, smirked as he stopped at the spot where the runes lay hidden, indicating to his companions where to stop.

Viren held the corrupted Scepter of Radiance, now a Scepter of Darkness, infused with dark magic; Aavaros had said it was crucial for this mission, as was the little purple fuzzball Claudia had in that jar which was in her grasp. She didn't know how it had lasted this long without food or fresh air, but it was going nuts now, tackling the sides of the jar to escape. Claudia didn't like it, but if it really was necessary…

Viren planted the staff in the spot where Aaravos indicated. He held out his hand expectantly and Claudia hesitated before opening the small jar, dumping the creature in his waiting hand, which he closed quickly – the little creature immediately tried to escape. Claudia's heart twisted for the cute thing, but only for a second. It was all for the good of humanity. The creature let out a loud squeal for such a tiny thing, which was cut off abruptly when Viren tightened his grip. The magic seeped through his fingers, and he gripped his own staff with the hand that had taken the small life, the squashed fuzzy thing falling to the ground without a sound. The power seeped into the staff as Viren spoke.

"Cigam ruoy laever." A pulse of power revealed the runes, and the three witnessed the illusion over the village lift.

The villages of the Moonshadow elves - for there were several distinct tribes littered throughout the vast forest - were something that no human alive had ever seen or found. Even other elves could only tell you 'somewhere in the Moonshadow Forest'. The Moonshadow elves were a private, reclusive people who didn't mingle too much with other creatures. More often than not, meeting one of these elves was considered a death sentence because the only times they tended to leave the safety of the villages were on assassination missions, and a Moonshadow elf never missed it's target. O f course no one would be able to find out where they lived.

The village though, was beautiful, with houses and buildings built into small cliffs and large trees like something out of a children's storybook. Oh how Claudia wished to check everything out, not just because this as an incredible discovery in the first place, but even she could feel this place teeming with magic. She stayed put though, after catching her father's more practical gaze. They were on a mission right now, and now she she knew where the village was she could always come back later anyway.

"Finally." Aaravos hissed, his eyes sparkling with a strange hunger. "The elusive Silvergrove."

The elves noticed them at once. Before anything can be said, they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of the elves, daylight or not. Viren and Claudia struggled and protested but Aaravos didn't make a move as he was subdued, not even blinking. Soon they were bounded a strange sort of slim but strong silver rope with at least fifty Moonshadow elves and weapons pointed at them, ready to fire. A few mothers were quickly shooing their children inside, keeping vigilant eyes on the intruders. There were words floating around.

"The illusion failed?"

"How did you find this place, humans?"

"Someone, send a message to the Dragon Queen."

As if that last statement was some kind of trigger word, Aaravos's eyes lit up and a second later, the elf who had said it was lifted into the air. Everyone, Viren and Claudia included, stared in horror at the wide-eyed elf as he gasped and choked, flailed his legs and scrabbled at his throat. His face grew as blue as the markings on his face before he went totally limp and dropped like a stone. He didn't move.

"I have the slightest suspicion," Aaravos said in something resembling a purr. "that such a move would be unwise of you."

"Who are you?" another elf asked.

"Unimportant." Aaravos said, the smile never leaving his face.

"Who. Are. You?" The elf hissed slowly, grabbing Viren and pressing a glowing silver dagger to his throat.

"Do you know Callum?" Claudia had been in a panic. Seeing her father at the end of an elf's weapon had scared her to death, and it was all she could think of. It would only later occurre to her that she might have put Callum's life in danger.

"Callum?" By a stroke of luck, a single elf seemed to hear. This oddity captured the attention of all the elves, and they parted a path for a dark-skinned male elf with eyes that seemed far too kind for his large muscles. He approached the humans but had the sense to not get too close. If not for the stunned look on his face, he would have been quite intimidating. His eyes looked at Claudia almost pleadingly. "Are you a friend of Rayla's?"

Claudia let out of breath of relief, at last recognizing the name. If this elf knew Callum, chances were he and that Rayla girl were close. Maybe she can use that. "Yeah! Yeah, Rayla. She…uh…she has a message for you."

"Rayla has been banished!" another elf announced. "The rebellious child of cowards who aligns herself with the enemy! She might have saved the Dragon Prince, but in doing so she disgraced herself by running around with humans. Fighting alongside them as equals, so the Sunfire elves say! The old archdragon Sol Regem claimed she even referred to one as a friend and called it noble and kind. Disgusting. She may have gained the favor of the Dragon Queen, but she will never be welcome back here."

A chorus of agreement rose up, the elves all scowling and growling, save for the elf who had recognized Callum's name, who just looked pained. "Ethari, she cost you your husband." another elf told him. "How can you still care about her?"

"I raised her, Lykis." he whispered, sounding almost on the verse of tears. "Runaan and I, she…she was our little girl."

"She's gone, Ethari." Lykis said. "She's a traitor to us, she cost us five seasoned assassins with her cowardice. And now she's getting friendly with humans."

"Oh, a bit more than that, I'm afraid." came Aaravos's voice. He was leaning on a tree a good distance away from the crowd, to the shock of both said crowd and his companions. The Aaravos at the mercy of the elves was run through with a spear, staying still. The illusion dissipated, the moonmoths fluttering away above them. All eyes went to Aaravos, who shook his head and gave a series of condescending tisks.

"You Moonshadow elves pride yourselves on strength and loyalty, and you've still gone so soft. Are you so sure of your abilities that you forget you yourselves can still be fooled?" A small bunch of outraged Moonshadow elves charged him, weapons at the ready. Aaravos's eyes flashed and he pulsed with power, the shockwave of lightening zapping the charging elves, who fell. Some of them groaned in pain. "But this is all beside the point. The point is this; going back to your account of this elf getting friendly with humans, I'm afraid it's more than that."

"What do you mean?" an elf asked, raising her sword defensively as a few of her comrades bolted forward not at Aaravos, but to the injured elves, pulling them up and leading them away. The two humans were forgotten by those who weren't restraining them, all eyes on this mysterious, dangerous figure. He began drawing a rune in the air.

"Aspectu Ola" Aaravos yelled, and a pulse engulfed the village. Again, Aaravos, Viren and Claudia found themselves on the astral plain, this time along with every Moonshadow elf in the village, many of which were surprised and looking over themselves and others. "Observe."

They were in a room at the Storm Spire; the living quarters for the Dragonguard. All eyes were on the luxurious bed as its occupants began stirring. In that moment, Viren, Claudia and the elves were all kindred spirits as they watched in disgust.

Somehow, Rayla was visible to her fellow Moonshadow elves. She was laying on her side, smiling and whispering to her partner. And her partner was a human boy who only Claudia, Viren and Ethari could put a name to. He stroked her face and played with her hair before engaging her in a deep, romantic kiss. She melted into it shamelessly, blissfully unaware of their audience. When she got up, climbing over the human, he sat up and grabbed her while she was straddling him. He held her in his lap and kissed her again, their foreheads connected and their eyes shining with love.

As quickly as it came, the vision disappeared, and elves and humans were back in the Silvergrove. There was silence. Another elf seemed to regain his wits and made his way to a pond near a huge tree; plucking out something that seemed out of place. It looked like a metal flower. He looked at the flower with a scowl before he closed his fist, crushing the weak metal and breaking the crystal in the center. He turned to his people and announced.

"Rayla brings shame not only to herself, but to all of us. She has been corrupted by the humans and now flaunts this blasphemy in front of the Dragon Queen herself. Even Lain and Tiadrin, cowards as they were, should be ashamed. I motion that we reverse her ghosting, to track her down and –"

"No." All eyes turned to Ethari, whose angry eyes were on the speaking elf.

"No?" the elf challenged.

"Rayla's only crime is loving too much." Ethari protested. "Isn't it punishment enough that she can't come back?"

"She's an embarrassment to us." another elf spoke up. "She needs to be taken care of."

"She loves the boy! She doesn't deserve the heartbreak!" Ethari defended.

"It's sickening!" another elf yelled from deeper in the crowd.

"She doesn't deserve to be where she is, she's a traitor now to all of elf-kind! All of Xadia!" still another interrupted.

The chaos the Moonshadow elves were in was a fine distraction, and Aaravos eyed the pond the flower had been plucked from. He picked up the Scepter of Darkness which had laid discarded on the ground when the elves first overtook the three. He approached the pond completely unchallenged. He found it both much easier and painfully boring as he lifted the staff and lowered the black head until it was submerged in the water. The blackness flowed through the water, spreading like ink or blood, and when Aaravos took the staff from the water, the black had become a fluctuating dark red. The pool was entirely black.

"The Moon Pool!" A voice cried, and at once the murmur of arguing stopped.

Several elves charged and were again subdued by a strong Fulminous jolt. Aaravos looked through the crowd in disgust. "So wrapped up in yourselves, the moon magic was that easy to acquire. And you're meant to be a race of fearless warriors. Pathetic."

No one moved. They just stared, horrified by the sheer possibilities. No one noticed Ethari slip away.

"Who are you?" an elf asked again.

"All you need to know is that I owe this Rayla a sincere thank you. Without her, I never would have found this place." Aaravos grinned as the anger at the young elf reemerged on a few of their faces. "Unfortunately, the price on her head has already been promised to one of my companions, and that cannot go unheeded."

These were Aaravos's final words as he used the corrupted staff, now teeming with moon magic as well as that of the sun, unleashing a burst of blinding energy. Above them, the shadow hawk flew away from the woods, unnoticed, carrying a message and a small cloth bag.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So, I saw Claudia capture that adoraburr and I thought, if you're going to use that sweet little thing for a spell, it had better be plot relevant. You can't make us fall in love with those cute little fluffballs and then turn around and kill one for nothing. Also, 'Ola' is Greek for 'All.' Review.


	5. Calm Before The Storm

**Chapter Five: Calm Before The Storm**

"It was just a dream, wasn't it?" Callum asked. He and Rayla were lounging in the main room with Rayla's swords propped up against the steps; she and Callum had attempted a little spar to keep from getting rusty in this time of peace, but ultimately Rayla had proven too distracted, so much so that Callum didn't feel comfortable sending spells her way anymore. They were now sitting close together on the steps, his arm draped lazily around her, and she leaned into his side.

"I know, but I can't stop thinking about it." Rayla said shortly. When she looked back at the spot where Viren had trapped her – why did she keep doing that to herself? – her hand reached up to take Callum's. "It wasn't even what happened to Zym, I can't stop thinking of Viren's threat."

Callum's eyes flashed and it only occurred to Rayla that she'd never told him about that. She internally sighed. Oops. "He threatened you?"

"He said he'd come back for me." she told him. "Obviously not, but he said something about adding me to some collection."

"Collection?" Callum asked, only calming down a little.

"He showed me a bag that looked like it had something in it. He said something about other Moonshadow elves." she said, and Callum watched as a shiver overtook her. "I don't know what he meant, but I have this feeling that I need to do something. Find that bag and do something about it."

"I don't know what to tell you about that, but I know this." Callum used his free hand to turn her face to his and they held their gazes. "No body was found, but there's no way anyone could have survived that fall. Even if he somehow did, it's been over a year. Verin's gone now; he can't hurt you, Zym or anyone anymore."

Rayla gave him a smile for the first time that morning. They shared a small kiss before she leaned back into him. "I know. What I don't know is, why now? I didn't even have a nightmare the first few nights after the battle."

"We'll figure it out, Rayla." Callum promised as he continued to hold her.

"Hey!" a loud, jovial and familiar voice rang out, ending the peaceful moment. Rayla and Callum quickly stood up and watched the entrance keenly like proper guards, as they were technically supposed to be doing. The figure sauntered in laxly, and was instantly recognized, if not by the wings, than by the heterochromia. She was twirling something in her fingers and failing to read the room by the careless smile on her face.

"Nyx." Callum greeted courtly, not needing to hide any kind of joy for seeing this particular elf again.

"There's my favorite interspecies couple!" Nyx walked right up to Callum and Rayla and happily slung an arm around each of them in an unreturned hug. "Word through the grape vine is that you two've moved up in the world. An't that right, Dragonguard and mage." With that, she turned to Callum. "I'm hurt, you know. You never said you were a mage. Would have been nice to know before."

"I was still a novice at the time." Callum told her, shrugging. "It wouldn't have been of much use either way."

"A human mage who's connected to an arcanum. Said to have traveled across Xadia with a Moonshadow elf to deliver the Dragon Prince home. I recognized that, alright." Nyx said, smirking and winking her amber eye. "They say it's proof that there is no need for dark magic, or something like that. In any case, it's a huge discovery, everyone's been talking about it." Nyx's smile fell and she looked down to her legs. It was Zym, growling and trying to shove her away by pressing his head to her shins. He was crackling with sparks of lightening. He clearly remembered Nyx.

Nyx watched in wonder as Callum drew a rune and shot his arm out, fanning his fingers above the prince. "Fulminous Domito." The sparks emitting from Zym were drawn toward Callum's palm, where they disappeared. Now free of lightening, Rayla safely picked the baby dragon up. Zym was still growling at Nyx as Rayla began to pet him.

"It's alright, little one." she soothed. "She won't take you away again."

"Oh, that was just the one time." Nyx dismissed, to her company's aggravation. She reached out to the prince, maybe to pet him, and jerked her hand away when he snapped at her.

"What's that?" Rayla asked, eyeing the item in Nyx's other hand. She held it up; it was a white metal stick with a letter and a cloth pouch tied to it, along with a design that Rayla recognized instantly. It was obvious that the letter had been opened and closed back up.

"I've never been able to let a shadow hawk go, but this one was for you." Nyx told her and handed her the letter. Zym jumped out of her arms onto the ground when Rayla moved to open the pouch. Inside were pieces of bent and snapped metal and shards a broken but still glowing crystal. It didn't take long for Rayla to recognize it as her flower from her old home in the Silvergrove. Now curious of the letter, she shook it open with her free hand. Her eyes skimmed the contents, widening at some point. She then gave the other elf an annoyed look.

"Get out of here before I report you." Rayla's voice was dry and matter-of-fact. Nyx raised her hands in a surrendering gesture, and she turned around and strolled out of the cavern. Callum and Rayla waited until she was gone, and thus out of earshot, to take their eyes off of her. When they were sure the coast was clear, Callum turned to Rayla, who was rereading the note with a look of concern.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"It's from Ethari." Rayla told him. "The Silvergrove's been attacked."

* * *

The Scepter of Darkness had calmed down and was back to its black color, with streaks of white now added to the golden aura around the orb. Aaravos and the humans were now half a day from getting out of the Moonshadow Forest. He was meditating beneath a tree, contemplating his next move. Claudia seemed to almost be having fun as she engaged in the sight-seeing her father had promised. Humans were so easily amused.

A strangled cry got his attention, and he looked at what they had truly chosen to wait for; Viren, a dagger in one hand, kneeled over the injured body of a shadowpaw. It's tail and paws twitched, telling him that the creature was just barely hanging on. He heard the splat of a hand slamming into a huge flesh wound, followed by a muttering of "Enim si efil rouy."

Claudia stopped to watch the lightshow as the dark magic took effect; a white, wispy something flowed from the beast, up Viren's arm and into his mouth and eyes. When the magic ceased, Viren seemed to be back to whatever prime he had been in when Aaravos properly met him. He stood taller, color returned, and the limp gone. The only thing was that his hand was now drenched in shadowpaw blood. Claudia smiled and walked up to her dad to hug him, without giving the creature a second look. During their time in the cave, Claudia had witnessed her father's true form; a walking corps of gray skin, countless wrinkles and and black, sunken in eyes. It had been griotique to see, but she had gotten used to it even if she preferred he keep his more youthful appearance no matter how many butterflies it took. She was far more unnerved by how, unlike that situation, Viren had actually seemed to deteriorate, grow weaker, without something to sustain him. Ever since that discovery, a part of her mind warned her that that same hideous appearance awaited her if she kept up the dark magic, but she'd always demand it to shut up.

It was a bit of a paradox to Aaravos, how humans could forge such strong, genuine bonds with a select few, yet be so ready to slay anything that don't fit into their cozy little circle of fellowship, even one another. Aaravos supposed he understood that last point, though; he himself wasn't fond of his own people. The other Startouch elves were as arrogant and self-righteous as the dragons and other kinds of elves were simply…lesser than him. He stood up.

"Shall we continue?" he asked. He had decided, the city of Concordia, capital city of the Earthblood elves, was next.

* * *

"A Startouch elf?" Queen Zubeia asked, intrigued. "Few have ever even seen them, let alone in the company of humans."

"The letter says it was a Startouch elf and two humans." Rayla reported. "Ethari says about half of the elves were killed, and they…" Rayla trailed off, looking away. It might have been a long time, but it still clearly hurt her. Callum placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"One of the humans knew our names." he reported. "Ethari seems to think she's a friend of ours, but we don't know who it could be, he didn't get their names. Somehow the other Moonshadow elves found out about…us." The last word was spoken with wariness, but he dropped his hand from Rayla's shoulder and took her hand with it, nonetheless. His grasp was firm and reassuring.

"And how have your people reacted to this news, my dear?" the Dragon Queen asked, curiously. Rayla put on a stoic face that both Queen Zubeia and Callum were familiar with. The queen had seen it countless times with all breed of elf, but Moonshadow elves had always seemed to be especially prone to retreating into stoicism in times of stress. Something about pride or saving face. Callum wasn't familiar enough with her people to know this, but he did know what it meant coming from her. They would either talk openly about it, or he'd have to pry it out of her tonight.

"They want me dead." Rayla's voice was chilled; another behavior that Queen Zubeia had seen countless times. Callum didn't take his eyes off of her for a few seconds. He would hold her and let her vent to him later, at the moment there were other matters. He looked back to the queen.

The Dragon Queen unfurled her wings and tensed up. "Absolutely not!" she growled, the growl itself having the volume of a roar from a large animal. "Peace may be fragile right now, but such disobedience will not be tolerated. I will consort with the moon dragons about this later today. In the meantime, Rayla, I have decided to reinstate the Dragongaurd. With your own life in even the slightest jeopardy, it seems unwise to go without further protection for both yourself, my only current gaurd, my son and I. The news will go out tonight, and the Moonshadow elves will be excluded until this nonsense is cleared up."

Rayla felt like she could breathe again. Finally, some good news. "Thank you, my queen." She bowed. She was than dismissed to continue her duties as a guard. Callum stayed where he was. He'd been quiet for the last minute or two. Queen Zubeia watched him curiously.

"Is there something troubling you, Prince Callum?" she asked.

Callum sighed, telling himself that the sooner they talked, the sooner it'd be over either way. "Queen Zubeia, what would you think of me becoming an archmage?" Her large, blue eyes widened, but she didn't speak, so Callum continued. "The moon mage Lujanne, at the Moon Nexis, told me about it. A master of all sources of magic."

At last, she spoke. "I trust this moon mage warned you of the dangers of such a thing."

"It can be as bad as dark magic in how it can corrupt." Callum paraphrased. "But I was raised in a place where I couldn't really do anything right. I've spent most of my life at the bottom of any hierarchy you could think of, feeling humble and undeserving of my place in life. The only reason I was a member of the royal family was because my mother married King Harrow when I was still small, but I was never a prince by birth and there were people in Katolis who never let me forget it. I was weak and small for most of my life. And my time in Xadia reinforced it; no creature's life is more or less valuable than another. I know that better than anyone and I swear I'll keep it in mind."

Silence. Callum was suddenly very tense. The recent discoveries of the letter had solidified this desire. It was simple, at least as far as he was concerned; the more magic he could do, the safer his loved ones would be. That and he just loved learning magic. He could imagine how wonderful it would be to be able to perform any kind of magic. The endless uses, the different feels of different arcanums, the security of those important to him. The queen sighed, and Callum's heart pounded in his chest.

"This is a very tall order, Prince Callum." she said carefully. "I'll make you a deal. In the next two weeks, you will help Rayla spread word about the Dragongaurd revival and bring together eight elite elves. Eight, not seven, so Rayla might accompany you on your journey. I will speak to her about this, she would be under my direct orders to ensure that you keep your word. Forgive me, this is not a matter of trust; corruption works it's best when one has no outside view of his actions. Rayla will be keeping you in line."

"Is it really that bad?" Callum asked. "That an archmage in training can't be left by themselves?"

"Not always." she said. "A few have managed to keep their minds and become good and well-known. Most souls, however, aren't so strong. Many archmages become enthralled by their own power, using it to abuse those they consider below them. Since Aaravos, no archmage has been allowed to learn their arts alone."

"Aaravos?" Callum asked, his interest now peaked. Would he finally be learning more about the mysterious archmage for whom his precious cube was named? The queen nodded.

"A Startouch elf, and a member of the Dragonguard centuries ago." she said. "He retired from the gaurd to become an archmage. When next anyone saw him, he had changed. Before, he had some rather nonconformist ideas, mostly involving humans, but he was largely a peaceful soul. When he reappeared, however, he became vocal, claiming dragons as arrogant tyrants, his fellow elves as the true lesser beings, and humans as deserving of power." Her lips curled in a sneer. "I can't even tell you the things he did."

"What happened to him?" Callum asked, trying not to sound too eager in light of their earlier conversation.

"Only know that my Avizandum imprisoned him in another place. A place that is neither the world of the living nor the afterlife. The single portal to this place, a mirror, was lost in the weeks after my egg. The absence of it makes me restless, wherever it is, it must not be allowed out of the sight of someone who can control it. All of Xadia must have been searched by now."

"What about the human kingdoms?" Callum asked. "There's a possibility that it could have ended up there."

"Hmm." The queen pondered. "A worthwhile idea. Send a message to your brother tonight. Let him know of the mirror and if he finds it, to let me know immediately."

"Yes, Queen Zubeia." Callum bowed and left when she gestured for his dismissal with a wave of a front paw.

The queen listened, hearing Callum's surprised yell, followed by Azymondias' happy chirps and yips and topped off with Rayla's laughter. The Moonshadow elves, the Dragongaurd, archmages, the mirror. Many heavy subjects had been discussed in the past few minutes, leaving her with a lot to think about. And yet, somehow, the laughter of the young ones seemed to chase away all of her worries.

Callum had once relayed to her a piece of wisdom that the late King Harrow had given him shortly before his regretful end; children often thought that adults were free to live the way they wished, but the truth was that the children were the free ones. Children were free of the burdens and harsh realities of adulthood. Hearing the horseplay going on in the other room, the Dragon Queen was certainly inclined to agree.

Despite everything, Queen Zubeia smiled.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Who was surprised to see Nyx, even for just a bit? For the concerned, the shadowpaw Viren killed was a wild one, not Ethari's. 'Domito' is Latin for 'to tame' and Concordia is the same for 'harmony'. Review.


	6. Human Lovers

**Chapter Six: Human Lovers**

The rest of the Silvergrove might have backed down, but not them. Most of the survivors had needed a full day to recover their sight from that flash. Moonshadow elves were creatures of the night, their eyes weren't made for that kind of light, especially so abruptly. The intruders had fled while everyone was still blinded, and the Moon Pool had been tainted. All anyone knew was that there had been two humans and a Startouch elf, many of their comrades were now dead, and Rayla, now a human lover on top of everything else, was the cause of it all. The ten of them found it rather liberating as they left the Moonshadow Forest; no blood binds, no life flowers, no rules, just tracking down a traitor and ridding the world of her.

* * *

Finding and trialing the eight elves had been surprisingly quick, with the queen herself doing most of the work. The new Dragonguard was made up of the following: a rare Startouch elf, two Sunfire elves, two Moonshadow elves, and three Skywing elves including Ibis. Rayla was out of her Dragonguard uniform and back in the outfit typical of her kind, having resigned from the position for the time being. Perhaps one day, she would return to carry on what she now considered a noble legacy, but for now she was to help Callum. They would be leaving any day now.

Rayla recognized the two Moonshadow elves; lifting her ghosting off of themselves had been their payment of sorts, a condition for being allowed on the Dragongaurd. They're names were Lykis and Malin, the fathers of two of her old friends who she otherwise hadn't been particularly close to. They ignored her completely and refused to acknowledge her presence through others as well. Though Rayla was in the chambers, there was predictably no acknowledgement of her as they approached the Dragon Queen.

"Queen Zubeia." Lykis spoke, "I've received word from the Silvergrove. There is a small splinter group of ten young elves that have left us in pursuit of Rayla."

The Dragon Queen's eyes narrowed, and she gave an agitated huff through her nose. Malin picked up the message as Lykis bowed deeply. "Be assured, the elders have spoken out against this; this is against everything the Moonshadow elves stand for. The mage Ethari refused to craft them life flowers or provide them with blood binds as this isn't a proper mission. The rest of us may see Rayla as a traitor and human lover, but we respect and accept your decree that she is not to be harmed. They left with the scorn of our people on their backs."

Rayla was hardly surprised, though she wondered who these ten were. The elves might have respected the dragons, but they didn't truly answer to them unless they were the current ruler of Xadia. Not even former kings and queens had full sway over the elves. She imagined that the splinter group had justified their actions this way; they would accuse the moon dragon of lying and go off on their own anyway, not caring if the decree was real or not. Probably some softheaded teenagers. Had she really been so impulsive herself once?

"We swear." Lykis said, his head still bowed. "Should they come back at all, they will be severely punished."

"And where are they now?" the queen asked.

"We don't know, but they're coming here. They know she's here." Malin said. The dragoness sighed through her nose.

"The fools." she said mournfully. "Do they not know about the thinning air up here?" Malin and Lykis looked sheepishly at each other.

"A thousand pardons, Your Majesty." Lykis said, again bowing. "A few in our village have never been particularly studious."

"Very well." she said. "Descend the spire until you meet them and tell them to turn back before they kill themselves. And warn them that I am very displeased with them for going against my wishes. Take a couple of other guards with you for numbers, should they try to overpower you."

"Yes, Queen Zubeia." The two Moonshadow elves bowed and promptly ran out of the room, racing past Callum who had been listening just outside the room.

Callum, like Rayla, had been completely ignored by the two since they had arrived at the spire. The only reason he knew they could see him was because he occasionally caught one of them looking at him in disgust and could hear them refer to 'the human'. They refused to use his name. Callum wasn't too hurt, he had pretty much expected this from any Moonshadow elves on the guard given how they had already treated Rayla back in their village. Frankly, he didn't want or need the approval of such cold, unforgiving people.

As Rayla and Queen Zubeia spoke, Callum turned around and walked outside, making his way to the pinnacle. The pinnacle, he had learned, was a fine place to think. It was quiet, usually private and there was something calming about being above the clouds. Today, he was a bit disappointed to see the Startouch elf, a woman appearing to be around his aunt's age, named Kaiya. Somehow he wasn't surprised that she'd seek solitude occasionally. The mystery of Aaravos' crimes continued because now, the rest of the Dragonguard eyed Kaiya with a slight unease, with her being the only other Startouch Dragonguard in recorded history. She claimed she understood, and whenever this was brought up, the perpetrator would immediately apologize for their small-mindedness. She was meditating, peering one of her eyes open to look at him.

"Prince Callum." She greeted courtly. Perhaps it came from Callum's own refusal to see her as another black-hearted Startouch elf, but she had been one of the nicer elves to him from the start.

"Kaiya." He replied shortly.

"Can I help you?"

"No, I just came up here to think." Callum told her. "The Moonshadow elves are in trouble. A few of them are coming here for Rayla, but the queen is taking care of it. Rayla…" he trailed off.

"Not to be rude, but what else did you expect?" Kaiya asked, not even opening her eyes as Callum approached her. "As far as us elves are concerned, you humans are just barely above animals, at least until recently. Those sorts of relationships have always been frowned upon, especially after Aaravos."

There he was again, Aaravos. Despite the warnings that this was a mystery better left alone, the figure was becoming more fascinating to Callum. His thoughts were interrupted when a pinkish-purple light caught his attention, glowing from his bag. He dug his hand into his bag and pulled out the key of the elf in question. The star rune was glowing that pinkish-purple, perhaps reacting to Kaiya, whose eyes were drawn to the key.

"Hm, say the demon's name and it shall appear." the elf said, seeming entirely unsurprised for it unlike everyone else. "How did a human mage stumble upon the Key of Aaravos?"

"My stepdad, King Harrow," Callum began and sat beside her, allowing her to look at the key more thoroughly. "said it's been in our family for generations. That Aaravos was a powerful archmage. Queen Zubeia said he did some bad things and that he was imprisoned by the Dragon King."

"Both of these are true." Kaiya nodded. "I'd imagine you humans must sing his praises in books and songs, or those of you who know about him."

"Why would he have anything to do with romantic relationships between humans and elves?" Callum asked, seeming not to hear her words about humans revering Aaravos.

* * *

Back in the main room of the spire, Rayla was getting used to the idea that her former friends had come to kill her to preserve their collective honor or whatever it was. She supposed it made sense from their perspective. It must have seemed sick to them, or maybe they thought it would be a mercy killing. She honestly couldn't care anymore. Over a year go, they had abandoned her based on an assumption, not that she herself didn't deserve it, and in that very moment Callum had been there to dry her tears. They had dropped her like a rock and he had stuck by her. Every fiber in her being told her that she would do the same and choose him over her former comrades a thousand times and not lose a wink of sleep over it once.

"Thinking about justice, human lover?" Rayla turned to face the speaker, a Sunfire elf who was looking at her with scorn. She might have only known this particular guard for a couple of weeks, but it was quickly becoming tiresome. Janai warned them upon his acceptance into the Dragongaurd that her younger brother could get like this, but Rayla didn't think he'd be this obnoxious.

"Amer." She muttered, though she didn't bow and looked wholly unimpressed at him. "You might say that."

"That's Prince Amer to you, Moonshadow elf." Amer spoke in a haughty voice, as if his title meant anything here. Rayla didn't see the need for it. Callum was a prince, and he certainly didn't flaunt his title around. They were all Dragonguard here, and they answered only to the queen, although Ibis found himself something of an unofficial leader in her absence. Even if they didn't, she wasn't one of his subjects. After the first few taunts from him, Callum had rather bluntly asked the queen if royalty could even serve on the guard. To their shared frustration, she had told them that there was no rule against it, however odd it may be.

"Really? I seem to remember you denouncing your claim to your throne after Janai –"

Amer shot an arm out to grab Rayla, but she leaped away with no trouble and continued to watch him alertly. "Don't you mention her name to me!" he spat, his haughty attitude giving way to rage. "She's as sick and tainted as you are. It's a joke that she's on the throne, leading our people. It's almost too perfect that your humans are related, you know? I'll bet that whole family is depraved and –"

Amer didn't get another word out before Rayla punched him in the jaw. Before either knew it, a massive blanket of dark feathers appeared between them and spread, separating them. It was Ibis, who had summoned his mage wings for the added space it would create between them. His stern gaze shifted between them like a father separating his arguing children, but it softened on Rayla when he saw tears spilling over in her eyes.

"What happened?" the Skywing elf's voice was soft to her as she turned around and stormed away, rubbing the tears off of her face. Even though she had heard from both Callum and Ibis that there was no shame in it, she still wasn't used to crying this way. Some part of her still felt that it was pathetic and weak of her. She could hear the argument fading as she ran away from them, Amer yelling and Ibis somehow keeping calm in his face. All was quiet when she walked through and shut a door. She wasn't sure which room she'd entered; she just threw herself onto the bed and cocooned herself in pillows and a blanket. Well after the war had been called off, there had been those who still sought to make trouble with the humans and casted scorn on her and Callum's relationship. It was such a beautiful thing, how could people be so cold as to deny it?

* * *

Aaravos smiled as the green joined the white and golden aura of the staff. He had always been particularly fond of the color green. Around him, the land bore scars of attack. Earthblood elves weren't warriors, they were mostly healers, and as such Viren and Claudia had done most of the fighting this time. It was their redemption, he supposed, for being so foolish as to not see Concordia. Earthblood elves called a large, wooded valley their capital city, many now broken and opened doors leading to large den-like structures built into the ground itself, so as to be invisible to unknowing eyes. These elves prided themselves on living with nature, they wouldn't sacrifice trees for personal dwellings.

Earthblood elves were timid, small things, probably thanks to living in those underground dens. Clad in cloths made from durable leaves and thin, brown horns that branched out like a deer's antlers. And, as their name would suggest, several of them were bleeding, many looking on with fear. The magical Earth Emerald, a magnificent green orb - in truth, an Earth primal stone - half buried in the ground and fastend in place by vines, had been violently dug up and had gone a dull dark green, it's light and power having been stolen by that strange staff. The three carried on with no trouble, the surviving elves too shaken and fearful to make a move.

It was only when they were clearly gone did one elf retreat into her dwelling and craft a message. A message of death and warning, to be sent to the Dragon Queen.

* * *

"Aaravos loved a human?" Callum asked.

"It was before he even joined the Dragonguard." Kaiya said. "No one even knows what her name was, but they had a son."

"So, humans and elves can…" Callum trailed off awkwardly, and Kaiya smirked at his reddening face. He was probably thinking of that little Moonshadow elf of his. Kaiya herself couldn't remember being so young, but she felt the same toward her husband back home, and to the now-grown children they had born a few hundred years ago.

"Have children? Yes." Kaiya said. "In fact, human mages like yourself aren't as unheard of as everyone says. There are old rumors of humans performing magic without primal stones, but no one knows if they really existed and in any case it certainly didn't stop the unicorns from creating the stones. Those who believed they did also speculated that they were not purely human, that they had elven ancestry. Nobody knew anything for sure, though. You're just the first confirmed case of a true human mage."

"Elven ancestry?" Callum asked, mystified. He considered it. He had only the faintest memories of his father, and he supposed breeding with only humans would easily strip the line of any physical elven traits over hundreds of years. But it still seemed farfetched, even against everything that had happened, how quickly his life had changed when Ezran had first found that egg. His destiny, his views of elves and dragons, his belief in what was even possible with his own connection to the sky? Was his own lineage now to be thrown into question, too?

"Aaravos's son was said to accompany the humans to the west. The rest of the elves didn't trust him thanks to his father, even though he was vocal in his disapproval of what he'd become. The humans, though, adored him and accepted him as one of their own. So, he went with them to the west, and no one knows what became of him. He must be long gone by now, though."

"How long do half-elves usually live?" Callum asked.

"Longer than a human, but shorter than their elven parent." Kaiya said, and continued when he asked what she meant. "We elves, our lifespans vary with our kind. Startouch elves like myself can live for thousands of years. I'm sure it I try, I can remember the first days of the contenant. I'd say the shortest lived are probably Moonshadow elves. Must have something to do with how the moon always waxes and wanes, its elves lives are also the shortest. Lucky Rayla, she'll probably only outlive you by a mere fifty or sixty years. It's one of the reasons there's such a taboo on these kinds of relationships, everyone says the elf is just setting themselves up for heartbreak, and when they were around, half-elves were usually ostracized for some perceived impurity. Now no one can really look at a romantic relationship between and elf and human without thinking of Aaravos."

"Thanks for that." Was Callum's sarcastic reply. Frankly, he could have done without the reminder that he would parish well before Rayla, thereby leaving her alone. Of course, in light of the discoveries he had made during this conversation, he didn't necessarily have to leave her all alone. If, someday, they could…

Callum's face burned. Children? With Rayla? The thought was startling. He was sixteen and she was seventeen; they were far too young to be thinking of that sort of thing, not that the lower half of his body seemed to really care at the moment. Besides, there was far too much going on for that. He still needed to become an archmage, they would need to find a place to settle down, try to garner the support of whoever they can before they could actually get started. He stood up so fast, it was a wonder he didn't fall over, quickly thanked Kaiya and she snickered to herself at his awkward walk as he left her to her meditation once more.

* * *

There had been little trouble finding the mirror and deducing that something was off about it, mainly that it showed a luxurious library with a roaring fire rather than any reflection. With times still so volatile in the human kingdoms, it was quickly decided that General Amaya and Commander Gren would be the ones to deliver the mirror back to Xadia, with Amaya saying they would receive help from the Sunfire elves to make it to the Dragon Queen as quickly as possible. A trip that shouldn't take more than a few days at the very most unless Amaya got caught up in her visits, which wasn't likely to happen even with Queen Janai or Callum. Amaya knew very well that this wasn't a social call, this was the last trace of Viren in the kingdom and all agreed that they wanted it gone.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I just remembered this is rated T, can ya tell? Who here thinks this talk of elven ancestry will come back? And what of Aaravos's fondness for green? Next up; back to the Moon Nexus and Claudia's jealousy gets the better of her! Ooh, so daring! Review.


	7. Sun And Moon

**Chapter Seven: Sun And Moon**

The shadow hawk gave a screech as it dove for the Storm Spire and dissipated in time to allow the head of the arrow to embed itself into the rock of a cliff. It was spotted and tugged free by Jinku, a winged Skywing elf and member of the new Dragonguard. He tugged the message free and landed outside the cave to read it. His eyebrows rose seeing that it was from the Earthblood elves. Jinku's wings propelled him forward quicker than running would have been, leaving a gust in his wake that alerted his fellow Dragonguard as he glided to the Dragon Queen. The seven other elves slowly gathered in the room in confusion, save for Jinku whose eyes were wild with fear. This caught Zubeia's attention. Zym, meanwhile, was engrossed in a firefly that had somehow gotten in.

"Jinku?" she asked. "What troubles you?"

"A message from the Earthblood elves, my queen." The elf struggled to keep his voice steady. "Two humans and a Startouch elf invaded their home, stole their magic, killed some of them."

"The same three who invaded the Silvergrove?" Lykis asked warily. He and Malin listened closely.

"The letter says that, specifically, the humans were a young woman and a middle-aged man. The stench of dark magic was all over them but came most strongly from the man." Jinku reported.

"It was them." Malin said gravely.

"They used dark magic!" The Skywing elf said.

"So, they are on the move." The queen took a moment before she straightened up and began giving commands to her guard. "Send word to Lux Aurea, Aviana and Flactus. Warn them of this band of dark mages traveling around. That they have brought the Silvergrove and Concordia to their knees and they must be wary of strangers. Ibis, send a message to Callum and Rayla; let them know what's going on."

The two skywing elves bowed deeply and left to write the messages. Amer stepped forward.

"My queen, how do we know where they're going next?" he asked.

"I'm afraid we don't." the dragon conceded. She looked at her son, who was happily batting at the glowing bugs from his nest, safe and oblivious to the trouble going on. "We can only hope that the warning will alert the remaining elves, and that it will stop the dark mages in their tracks."

* * *

The dark blue moon dragon had shocked Callum with his speed. Moon dragons weren't as flashy or grand as sun dragons. They were smaller, many colored to blend with the night sky and covered in finer scales and sleeker mains to help with the camouflage. Callum prided himself on connecting this back to illusions; this arcanum would be easy to grasp…he hoped. He'd never connected to an arcanum without the shameful aid of dark magic before. Callum and Rayla flew, neither having the faintest suspicion that they were already being tracked down from the ground. The trip from the Storm Spire to the Moon Nexus took a mere half a day. Callum had to admit that Rayla was right, this was much faster than his mage wings. Lujanne was there to meet them.

"Callum, Rayla welcome back." the moon mage greeted as they landed and dismounted the dragon. Callum only took a second to run a hand through his hair in an uncaring effort to tame it. He had long gotten used to his hair being windswept, and Rayla had even told him it looked cute, but he felt he should at least make an effort to look presentable.

"Hi, Lujanne." Callum greeted her back. "I'm ready to start whenever you are."

"I didn't have a choice, the Dragon Queen made me come with him to keep his head straight." Rayla said dryly, her arms crossed. "And I was overpowered last night by those stupid extra fingers of his." Callum smirked at her and fluttered his fingers at her in a playful taunt. She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

Lujanne smiled mischievously and raised an eyebrow at the couple, her eyes on Rayla specifically. "Sounds fun." she said with a wink. Callum's hand dropped and their faces practically lit up with red.

"I-it was a tickle fight!" Rayla stuttered. She had considered defending herself by telling Lujanne that it wouldn't have happened if Callum hadn't found that weak spot on her neck, but with where the elder mage's mind was at the moment, she thought better of it. "He has more fingers than me."

"Oh, I suppose you two are too young anyway. As for the lessons, we'll start tonight; moon magic is its strongest at night. Until then, make yourselves comfortable." the mage shrugged and turned around. Callum and Rayla, still blushing, followed her to the living quarters.

* * *

Unaware of the trouble brewing elsewhere, the elves of Lux Aurea were having a peaceful day. In fact, things were rather boring until a high-ranking soldier entered the throne room, kneeling before the queen.

"Pardon me, Your Radiance." he said, "General Amaya and Commander Gren of Katolis have payed us a surprise visit."

Janai, now bearing the crown of her late sister, raised an intrigued eyebrow; that certainly was a surprise. "Let them in."

The soldier nodded and ushered the two guards to open the door, revealing the humans, who entered the room, standing tall, with a large, mysterious object covered in a white tarp behind them, being wheeled into the room by two other elven guards. It looked like a full-body mirror by its shape. Janai rolled her eyes when they bowed to her; these formalities were so very unneeded. She smirked when they rose.

"Amaya, Gren, you two are looking well." Queen Janai said, unable to hide her smile at seeing Amaya.

It had been a few months following what would come to be called The Battle of the Storm Spire, in which General Amaya and her commander had insisted on staying in Lux Aurea for the time being, to help Queen Janai get things settled after the attack. In those months, between the general's teasing looks and their many talks (with either Gren or Kazi standing by, of course) they were able to convince her that there was nothing to be ashamed of, no matter what her sister had said, and that Amaya felt the same way. It was a great relief to finally not need to hide her feelings for the human any longer. She was the queen of the Sunfire elves; anyone who didn't support her personal life choices would either have to learn to live with it or were welcome to leave. Just so long as they didn't get too cozy in public, decorum was still decorum after all.

General Amaya returned the smile to her beloved before her face grew serious and she began signing. Kazi, who these days was often in the throne room lest Amaya drop in like this without Gren, studied the rapid hand and arm movements closely, always eager to absorb more knowledge. They quite liked when Gren was here for more reasons than that; he was also a good personal friend.

"You too, but I'm afraid this isn't a social visit." Gren translated. "After the Dragon King's death, a mirror went missing from the king and queen's chambers. We found it in our palace just yesterday. Knowing Viren, he probably brought it back to unlock some kind of power. We were hoping you could loan us a couple of your hotcats to help get it to the Storm Spire as soon as possible."

At the mention of Viren's name, Janai immediately had to control her temper. If whatever was under that tarp had anything to do with that vile, monstrous false king of humans, she did not want it in her court. She stood from her throne and made this passionately clear, to the nervous glances of both her guards and Gren. Amaya, though, didn't flinch. She just looked at the queen with those cunning but kind eyes in an expression that was easy to read after so long: I understand. At this, Janai was able to calm herself.

"Is this the mirror?" Janai asked, gesturing to the tarp. Amaya nodded to her and then turned to Gren to give another, firmer nod. Gren removed the tarp, revealing the mirror with the library in it. Janai's eyes grew wide with fear and a murmur of alarm grew into a deafening roar in the courtroom, the guards all shaken as well. Janai was soon frustrated with the noise and gave a loud command: "ENOUGH!"

All went silent and still save for the two humans. Gren was tending to his hurt ears, and the unaffected Amaya was looking around in confusion and concern at the uproar. "I shall summon a dragon. They are far faster across the skies than any other creature." Janai said. "That mirror must not be left anywhere where the Dragon Queen cannot keep an eye on it." Only the questioning looks of the humans were all she needed to know that she'd need to elaborate. "It is called the Mirror of Aaravos, something that all elves know and fear. I'll explain on the way, come."

Janai began marching down the throne room towards the door at a brisk pace, Amaya and Grin falling into step with her. The guards hesitated for a moment before they began pushing the mirror after the trio, too intimidated by their queen's temper to ignore her order. Almost as an afterthought, she shouted back; "Kazi, you're in charge until I get back."

"I-I…what!?" the small, scholarly and at the moment very stunned elf stammered as the door closed behind the three.

* * *

It was night. They were down to half of their numbers now. The Storm Spire had wiped the others out, and then the coward went running to the Moon Nexus; so they'd overheard days ago and had begun their trip early. The five of them couldn't have been ten feet up the mountain when they were cut off guard by a sky spell that left them encased in a powerful blast of ice. The five had been shaken to see the dark mages and the Startouch elf again, but obviously refused to show it. All the woman had said was that the Moonshadow elf at the Nexus was her kill and that no one was going to touch the human. She and her companions had left without another word as the five struggled to break free.

* * *

Callum, Rayla and Lujanne were unaware of any of this. First thing was to actually connect to the moon arcanum, something that would be a new experience for both mages; Lujanne had never had to teach such a thing before. Rayla had figured that this was a private lesson, so she left them to it. She lay down in a patch of grass and stretched out comfortably, gazing up at the moon and stars and watching the moonmoths fluttering around in the peaceful night.

This was far more relaxing than her last visit, when she had had an egg, and later a baby dragon, to protect. All she had to do this time was make sure Callum didn't get a swelled head which, from what she understood, wouldn't be a real risk for a while. Now, she found the Moon Nexus to be a lovely place, teeming with invisible energy at night that wasn't present in the daytime. Callum didn't seem to feel it, but she did and it invigorated her.

The sound of footsteps yanked her from her reverie and in a flash, she was on her stomach, propped up on her elbows and listening intently, eyes darting around. Nothing. The footsteps stopped the moment she flipped over, as if whoever was moving around knew they were caught, but there was nobody she could see. Part of her told herself she was just jumpy. Her people's scorn, that creep Amer, her nightmares. She had been under a lot of stress lately. Another part said that this was the Moon Nexus, where moon magic, illusionary magic, was its strongest. Anyone could have put an illusion on themselves that allowed them to become invisible. Her mind went to the assassins that she knew were pursuing her. She stood up, looking around in a defensive stance. Foolishly, she had left her swords back in her room in anticipation of a safe night.

"Come out." She commanded to the air and waited. A minute crept by, then another, then a few more. At last, she relaxed and settled back down into her spot with a heavy exhale. She really needed to calm down. She closed her eyes and fully relaxed herself. She was a little unsurprised to feel herself drifting off. She welcomed the embrace of sleep as it approached.

She vaguely registered the soft words she heard, dismissing them in her tiredness as her hearing things as she apparently was tonight. Rayla was violently torn from her would-be sleep by the sudden, intense pressure around her neck. Her eyes shot open, seeing someone who she had met a few times, but only just barely recognized. Her skin was much paler and less healthy-looking, there was darkness under her eyes like she hadn't been sleeping, and most noticeably, half of her hair had gone completely white. Her eyes were darker and filled with a blazing hatred. She was kneeling beside the elf and choking her.

Rayla tried to move but found herself paralyzed. She wouldn't have screamed even if she could with this pressure on her throat, she was much too proud even now when she was completely helpless, physically speaking. She knew paralyzing spells were temporary, lasting a mere two minutes at the most, the dark spell even shorter. All she had to do was try to stay awake long enough for it to wear off.

Before long, Rayla's lungs began to ache for air, Claudia's nails digging into her neck, only to leave behind scratches when she was yanked away. Rayla's head was spinning in dizziness as she gasped for air. The elf's hands and legs began to fidget on reflex as the paralysis started to wear off, and a cold, smooth something was pressed under her chin and moved her face to look at her new attacker. Her blood ran cold in her ears.

"Viren." Her voice was small and shaky. Every nerve in her body was yelling at her to run, but she was rooted to the spot, not just from the spell. Viren was looking down at her with anger. He removed his staff from beneath her face and raised it, only to bring it down on her hard, slamming the broad top into her stomach. A wave of pain pulsed through her body, producing an agonized cry against her will.

"You." The man growled, standing over her, digging the end of his staff to her neck. "You took away my destiny. My kingdom."

"Aspiro Frigis!"

Then like that, Viren and Claudia were out of her line of sight. Rayla finally rose, propping herself up on her arms and shivering; the spell had just missed her, but she was close enough to feel the frost in the air. They were frozen to a decorative wall that marked the border of some now doomed flowerbeds. She stood up, feeling the developing bruise on her torso as she ran to Callum and Lujanne, feeling the fury of the dark mages on her back the whole way.

Callum's anger, already a rare emotion in his life so far, was mixed with disbelief in looking at Viren. "How did you survive that fall?"

"Hardly your concern, _prince_." Viren said. The word prince was mocking. It made Callum's skin crawl. Seeing the rare anger on Callum's face, Rayla laced their fingers together and Callum squeezed her hand, calming down a little. The sight of their clasped hands filled Claudia with a renewed anger.

"Callum, has your precious connection to the sky driven you insane?" Claudia demanded. Callum was momentarily stunned as Rayla had been over her drastic change in appearance; she was like some watered-down version of the Claudia who he had once called a friend. What had she done to herself? "She's an elf." She said this like Callum was some slow-witted child who needed to be reminded of something for the fiftieth time and who she was losing patience with.

"I don't see how that's your business." was Callum's cold retort. Lujanne placed a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. She looked horrified. Callum followed her gaze to the elf leaning against a tree who had been watching the exchange as though for entertainment. By how similar he looked to Kaiya, it was clear he was a Startouch elf; younger and more magnificent than she was. His eyes were firmly on Callum, and everyone was now watching him.

"At last we meet." His voice was smooth, silky and absolutely sinister. It gave Callum a sense of dread he had not felt since the night King Harrow was slain. But he wasn't a helpless little boy anymore, he was a sky mage, so the fear was far easier to keep in check. "Prince Callum of Katolis."

"How do you know me?" he asked.

"Why, your reputation precedes you." the elf said, not taking his eyes off of Callum. If he were honest, there was something about those green eyes of his, tinged with the ferocity and unpredictability of a storm. The defiance, the distrust, the illusion of righteous rebellion that so frequently twisted the minds of the young. They rather reminded him of his son. "The first human mage to connect to an arcanum. It truly is fascinating. I regret that this little visit must be cut short, but we have places to be. Just know, mage, that I will be keeping my eye on you, following your journey. I know you aim to become an archmage, the best ones always do."

"If I'm gonna have some rival out there, watching my every move, I think I should at least know their name." Callum said, somehow keeping his composure in the face of obvious trouble. "You know me, somehow, but who are you?"

"Oh dear, how rude of me. Perhaps you've heard of me, as well." the elf smiled. "Aaravos."

Callum, Rayla and Lujanne's eyes all widened, which turned out to be a mistake. The elf raised a hand to the sky and yelled: "Minimo!" A light flashed, blinding all three of them. Callum would be the first to recover his sight, and by then the ice would be melted and he and the two Moonshadow elves would be alone again; no Viren, no Claudia…no Aaravos. The night ahead would be a troubled and restless one, the moon arcanum now thoroughly forgotten.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So, I've seen a couple of people speculate about a connection between Callum and Aaravos. I know what I'm thinking, but I'd like to know what all of you think. There's a poll on my profile page. I want to know what you guys think will happen. 'Minimo' is Latin for 'blinding light'. Review.


	8. Revealed

**Chapter Eight: Revealed**

Claudia couldn't believe it. She was right there, helpless, alone, her hands around her neck. Why had her father snatched her away before that vile thing could even go unconscious?

"It wasn't the right time." Aaravos said, glancing at Claudia as the three made their way down the mountain. They had passed the remains of the ice blast a mile or so ago, the ice melting and broken and the elves gone; they must have broken loose when the summer night melted the ice. No matter, it was an easy fix if they sought to cause trouble. "I would like to study that mage a bit more. Maybe even get him to see the truth about the dragons and elves, join our cause. I suspect you favor this idea."

Claudia, stunned, only nodded. Aaravos continued. "That Moonshadow elf is important to him. She stays alive, it will be easier to…influence him."

"You…" Claudia paused nervously. "You can't read minds, can you?"

"I didn't need to." Aaravos said. "You seem to hold quite the grudge against the elf and are equally as fond of the boy, yes?" Claudia could feel her face heat up. No, she just wanted to get Callum away from that elf. She'd realized it months ago that everything had been fine until she showed up; they were all happy in Katolis, than the elf arrived with her ilk to kill the king. Then they found that egg and she convinced the princes to take it back to the dragons. Nothing was the same after that. "We'll wait until the plan is complete, then we won't need either of them anymore. Only then may you bring that troublesome little thing to her knees, and not before."

Claudia looked down in shame. It had been her idea, her insistence that they come here. She knew that elf was coming here, and she wanted to watch the light leave her eyes. And if what Aaravos said was true, she had nearly cost them a potential ally with her anger. It appeared she would now have to wait until whatever her father and this elf were planning had seen results of some kind. Viren was silent, needing to focus on breathing. It might have been his imagination, but the trip down the mountain felt more draining then the trip up.

* * *

Lujanne didn't like leaving the Moon Nexus unguarded the morning after it had been trespassed on, but Callum and Rayla had refused to leave her there alone for the same reason. She supposed their hearts were in the right place and it warmed her own heart to know they cared so much, even if Rayla tried to hide it behind rolling eyes and dismissive scoffs. Lujanne didn't care what the rest of their people said about Rayla, she was every bit the private and secretive Moonshadow elf as any of them. So now she was on the back of the young moon dragon, Phoe-phoe cradled in one of her arms, quickly approaching the Storm Spire.

The fact that a sun dragon was already waiting at the spire was the first tip that something was off. When the moon dragon landed beside him, the two began to converse in a series of passive growls and purring noises. As the human and elves got off of him, the moon dragon's eyes widened in astonishment at something his fellow dragon told him. If the sun dragon had been a hint of something being wrong, the fact that the place seemed deserted was alarming. The trio ran into the royal chambers where the Queen Zubeia, the Dragonguard, Queen Janai and General Amaya were gathered. The queen was staring down a mirror, her wings unfurled, while the rest were keeping their distance, but ready to leap forward at a moment's notice.

"Aunt Amaya?" Callum questioned, having not expected to see her here. Gren, seeing them, tapped on her shoulder, getting her attention, and turning it to the entrance were Callum and his companions stood. She beamed as Callum quickly walked over to hug her while the two elves walked at a slower pace to join the others. The Dragon Queen spared them a glance of acknowledgement before turning her attention back to the mirror. "What's happening?"

"The mirror of Aaravos." Janai told them, leading the trio's eyes to widen in surprise. "Amaya and her men found it in a dungeon of your palace. We had to bring it back here as quickly as possible. The Dragon Queen has tried to summon Aaravos to the mirror; he is bound to appear at her words by the magic that holds him regardless of his will. He hasn't. The only way he wouldn't appear in the mirror would be if he has somehow escaped."

"He did." Callum saw no point in beating around the bush. All eyes turned toward him, wide and wary. "We met him at the Moon Nexus, and that's not all; Viren's back. They're working together, with Claudia."

Apart from Amaya and Janai, who were determined and livid respectively, Gren and the elves were shocked. Queen Zubeia was looking at them with interest. She had only heard of Viren as the egg-napper who had also somehow done away with her husband's entire guard to do it and had later come back to lead an army against Xadia. She knew the man by his past misdeeds, but having never met him, she couldn't consider him as big a threat as Aaravos.

"And you survived?" a Sunfire elf guard asked.

"They claimed to have somewhere to be." Lujanne said, speaking for the first time. She introduced herself when eyes went to her.

"A Startouch elf and two humans." Queen Zubeia pondered. "It's very likely that these groups are one in the same. Malin, return to the Silvergrove; gather five Moonshadow elves and send them to the Moon Nexus with Lujanne. Ibis, send this information to all elven cities you can think of and tell them to do the same. Our Nexus's are precious and must be protected at all costs, especially if they're going around stealing magic."

The dots connected to Janai; Verin, stealing magic, Aaravos. So, had they been going around doing the same to the other elves? Zym stirred in his nest and awoke. It only then occurred to Callum, Rayla and Lujanne how early it was. Outside, the two dragons must have been enjoying the first warmth of the day. Seeing Callum and Rayla, Zym immediately chirped and ran to tackle Rayla in the stomach. She couldn't help her pained shutter, which several others saw.

Amaya looked concerned for a moment before she began signing, taking on a fierce expression which Gren promptly translated. "What's wrong, Rayla? Did they attack any of you?"

"Claudia ambushed her." Callum told them. "And Viren hit her with his staff."

Looking at her, their audience could see it. There were bruises and visible scratches on her neck and her posture was lax in a way that just looked drained. She hadn't spoken yet today, but several of them could imagine it would hurt with how abused that neck looked. Zym, seeing her discomfort, lifted himself up by her shoulders and gave her cheek a few licks, earning a small smile from her. Amaya's fists clinched with anger. In the few days they spent in proximity in the days surrounding the Battle of the Storm Spire, she'd grown fond if this spirited little elf girl who almost reminded her of herself as a teenager, if perhaps a bit more reckless. Beyond that, Amaya almost felt compelled to protect Rayla not just for her smitten nephew's sake, but upon further study it became clear that this was a girl who had been without a mother for a very long time.

"Braise," Zubeia's voice was quiet, and the Sunfire elf who had asked if they'd survived an encounter with Aaravos stepped forward and bowed. "Take Rayla to the infirmary. Get her patched up."

"Yes, my queen." Braise said and walked up to Rayla. Braise was a young female elf, a bit scrawny but about as tall as Ibis. "Come along, you." She was gentle as she took her arm. Rayla was too tired to protest being pulled along and out of the room. She was just looking forward to the promise of rest now.

Callum walked with the two to the main room. When Blaise led Rayla into the infirmary, she held Callum back when he tried to follow her. "Whoa there, lover boy. You're not going in there, that shirt's going to need to come off, and you're not sneaking a peek. Now shoo." Callum's frown was softened by the hot blush on his cheeks as the door was close in his face. Amaya, Gren and Janai arrived in the main room and approached Callum, all looking worried. Amaya signed to Callum.

"We'll tell King Ezran and Soren the moment we get home." Gren translated. "Soren especially needs to know."

A scoff got their attention. The three humans and Janai turned toward the corridor leading to the sleeping chamber. It was Amer, looking disgusted at the four.

"Some king, I'm sure." He sneered. "The only question is what sort of elf is going to be corrupted by him? It does run in the family, right?"

Callum was quiet and Amaya had to be held back by Janai and Gren. Janai scowled at Amer. "Amer, stop!"

"I still don't know how you can hold your head high." Amer rounded on her. "Do you know how ashamed our family must be? Falling in love with a human? It's a joke, a sick joke!"

For the second time, Amer's taunts had earned him a punch in the jaw, in almost the exact same spot, even. Amaya had broken free of Gren and Janai's holds, and her fist was still balled. Her teeth were clenched, and she was looking at him with ferocity. Of course, she couldn't hear the insults themselves, but both Janai and her nephew were affected by what he was saying, so it simply had to stop.

"Violent creatures!" Amer hissed, holding his bruised jaw and turning to look Janai in the eye for the first time. "Khessa would hate you if she saw this." Before any more blows could be thrown his way, he stormed off, slamming the door to one of the elf chambers. He needn't have bothered, because both Amaya and Janai had been stunned into stillness. The two conversed often about their beloved older sisters, Queens Sarai and Khessa. Amaya had told Janai that Sarai would have loved her, that she had always been the more sympathetic of the pair towards Xadian creatures. Janai had countered that their relationship would have changed nothing in Khessa's eyes and might have actually worsened things between their peoples, not unlike what was happening with Rayla's people at the moment. As infuriating as it was, Janai knew her brother's words to be true.

Callum watched as his aunt placed a comforting hand on the Sunfire Queen's shoulder. The queen's posture visibly relaxed and she took her hand. Suddenly feeling lonely, he turned back to the door to the infirmary. At that moment, said door opened and an irritated Braise appeared, making a point to shut the door behind her.

"What in the name of Garlath is going on out here?" she demanded.

"Just Amer acting like a spoiled child, refusing to accept what's well out of his control." Janai reported, still holding Amaya's hand. Personally, Braise stood on neutral ground when it came to these interspecies relationships, they simply had nothing to do with her. If there was one thing she definitely didn't like, though, it was the noise that people like Amer made about it, and against his own sister, no less.

"Is Rayla okay?" Callum asked.

"She'll be fine." Braise told him. "The arnica mixture should lessen the bruising on her throat and stomach, and she was jittery, so I gave her something to help her sleep. The scratches are too shallow to need treating, they'll probably heal on their own by the end of the day. She's resting now, which is why we need quiet."

The queen let out a sigh. "He can't be dealt with."

"You're telling me." Callum muttered, making Amaya raise her eyebrows.

Janai continued. "We've done what we came here for, Amaya, Gren. Let's get back to the Lux Aurea before Kazi has a panic attack."

"In a moment." Gren translated the general's signs. "Callum, has Amer given you trouble before?"

"He's been cornering both of us, Rayla and I, alone since he joined the guard. He's not even brave enough to face us together." Callum's voice held a bit of scorn. He was a coward on top of everything else, and Callum only avoided blasting him with lightening out of a respect for even his life. Amaya's eyes blazed with anger and she turned around and marched down the room and through the corridor leading to the Dragon Queen. Gren had to run to catch up with her. Janai, Callum and Braise watched in silence for a moment, unsure of what was happening. After a minute or two, they reemerged, Amaya joining Callum and the elves, while Gren moved to the door through which Amer had left.

Amer was in his heat-being mode when Gren told him that Queen Zubeia demanded to see him. Callum was reminded of Viren's lava monsters and felt himself shudder because of it. Hopefully the Dragon Queen would put a stop to this behavior, if only because this was the worst time to get lost in infighting. This train of thought led him back to the Battle of the Storm Spire all that time ago.

"Verin, Claudia and Aaravos." Callum said to himself. "If they're after us, we really can't stay here. We'd be putting everyone in danger."

"Where will you go?" Janai asked. Callum shrugged.

"Travel around, try to avoid them until I know enough magic." he said. "We were already planning on it for my training as an archmage, so it's really fine. But before that, Rayla needs to wake up and I want to connect to the moon arcanum before Lujanne goes home to the Nexus. Aunt Amaya, when you get home, let Ezran know that we'll visit as soon as possible."

Amaya nodded and began signing, which Gren translated. "Okay. We'll see you two in a few days."

Amer trailed behind the old moon mage and watched her walk up to the human. He lurked in the passageway, hoping not to be seen. It had been humiliating to be called out by the Dragon Queen herself as if he were a misbehaving child. He could feel his blood boiling. He waited until the pair had gone outside and were on their way to the pinnacle, before he moved to go outside himself, but began descending the spire. He knew who to go to, who would fix this. Maybe it was extreme and unauthorized, but it was for the greater good; this blasphemy couldn't be allowed to continue.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** What's Amer planning to do? Next stop, Callum connecting to the moon arcanum. Hope it's satisfactory. Review.


	9. The Moon Arcanum

**Chapter Nine: The Moon Arcanum**

Rayla felt warm. Wonderfully, wonderfully warm. The kind of warmth that envelopes you in itself and sooths, like a hot beverage and a toasty blanket on a cold winter's night. When she tried to move her neck, a small, barely-there pain pulled her from the bliss of sleep. She was teetering on the edge of consciousness, and a part of her didn't want to wake up just yet. It had been such a lovely dream, in which there had been no separation between humans and Xadia, no dark magic, humans and elves lived together. Viren and Claudia had been friendly to her, all lives that had been lost were there, and she was a member of Callum, Soren and Claudia's little group from the start, another old friend going back years. Just one that happened to be an elf, nothing unusual or suspect about it in the least. She could just remember the last part, in which Claudia had discovered her feelings for Callum and had begun teasing her about it just as he was approaching, making her heart race.

The smell of this place was making it impossible to return to the dream. It wasn't a particularly bad smell, but it was powerful, the bitter scent of herbs. Her still heavy eyes cracked open reluctantly. As she had gathered from the smell, she was in an infirmary, in a bed. Shelves and cupboards filled with jars of powders, poultices and dried plants lined the walls, where most of the smell was coming from.

"So, Rayla," she jumped at the sudden voice. "You decided to join the living, huh?"

It was Braise, smirking down at her, apparently proud of the joke. Giving up on returning to her dream, Rayla just sat up and gave herself a long, comfortable stretch. "How long was I out?"

"Since this morning." The Sunfire elf told her. "Queen Janai and Amaya have gone home already, and the messages about Aaravos have been sent out. Callum came in a little while ago looking for something to help him sleep. He said he was asleep when he connected to the sky arcanum, so he's seeing if it helps this time.

Rayla got up and gave Braise a half-hearted thanks before leaving her in the infirmary, moving quite fast for someone who'd been in such a deep slumber herself minutes ago. She made her way to the pinnacle, where she was sure Callum was. Knowing him, he probably thought it would help being as close to the moon as possible, daytime or not. The big goofball. The only concern was that the last time he'd been so sick. She wanted to be with him, just in case.

To her relief, he seemed perfectly fine, apart from the fact that he was napping comfortably in the middle of the highest point in the world, as casually as if it were his own bed. It was dusk now. She smiled and shook her head as she quietly walked over to him, laid down beside him and snuggled up, placing her hand on his chest to keep track of his heartbeat. Normal and steady.

* * *

Callum was strolling through a path in the woods, his face turned toward the crescent moon in the sky. His eyes zeroed in on the dark, starless piece of sky that was presently hidden behind the dark side of the moon. It wasn't like it was in children's picture books, in which characters slid down the curve of the moon as if it were a slide; it was all one orb. It went back to secrets and appearances. It was hard to see at first, but it could be seen if one really looked at it.

What Callum wasn't looking at was where he was going. He wouldn't have time to wonder where the sudden lake had come from, he'd already fallen into the water with a start. But he wasn't underwater, it was just somewhere else. Now he was looking at memories. He saw himself as a child, maybe nine or ten, foolishly buying every word as Soren told what he now knew was an exaggerated and frankly silly tale, of how Moonshadow elves drank human blood and a bite from them would drive you mad. Another vision was from an early day in their travels with the egg, after the debacle at the banther lodge. Callum's heart broke at the look of hurt in Rayla's eyes as it sank in for her just what the humans thought of her and her kind. They really did think they were monsters.

"Callum." A familiar voice called. Callum turned away from the scene to see Claudia, as he had known her. Black hair, healthy complexion, playful eyes. Well, so they would be if they didn't look so betrayed. Callum wasn't sure if he should be cautious or not, so he decided to play it safe. "Callum," she repeated, "why did you choose them? You belong with us back in Katolis. Everything has its place, and yours is back home."

"It's what they needed." Came his confident reply. "It's what _I_ needed. If Ez and I had gone home with you, Zym might not have made it home and Rayla wouldn't have anywhere to go."

"Oh, so this is about her." Claudia frowned, her eyes darkening with anger. It was eerie how dangerous she now looked just from that. "That _elf_ girl." Claudia put a disdainful emphasis on the word 'elf'. "You know elves and humans don't go together. She's not like us, Callum. None of them are."

"Yeah, well," he retorted. "that _elf_ knows more about being human than you do. She values life. She's empathetic, she's smart, she…she was supposed to kill Ezran, but she couldn't. She's too good to take a life, unlike you. Soren told me what you almost did to him, Claudia."

As Callum spoke, he watched her scowl deepen, her face go paler, white bleeding into her hair. He was unsurprised to see that she was now holding a horn. And elf horn, the broad end still dripping with fresh blood. It didn't seem to bother her when the blood got all over her hand. In fact, she held the horn tighter. Callum's stomach turned at the sight, his only solace being that the horn was unfamiliar to him.

"I was prepared to do what I had to." she told him, sounding emotionless.

"And what was that?" Callum demanded. "Killing my little brother? Someone you called your friend? Your king?"

"He was a threat to my father's rule." her voice was cold. "He was the one who wanted it, not me. Ezran is a child, he doesn't have what it takes to rule. Under my father, at least things happened."

"I think I know what this is." Callum said, suddenly calm. "The moon arcanum is about how appearances are deceiving. Growing up, I thought you were sweet, funny, beautiful, I thought you were the perfect package. The Moonshadow elves were monsters who would run you through before they'd look at you. Sadistic and evil, killing for sport. But I had that backwards, didn't I?" There was silence before Callum spoke again, sounding tired and looking away from her. "We're done here. Go away."

Like the mirror image long before her, this Claudia was overtaken by stone. She gave a lunge at him as if to attack, but he didn't move. When the stoning was complete, she was in a familiar pose, outstretched hand, open mouth. The only true difference was that Callum could clearly see her face contorted with rage. The stone crumbled to the ground and turned to dust. Callum couldn't even bring himself to be mad, he just felt a hollow regret for how things had gotten so messed up. The moon was again above him, full and looming now. The light dyed his skin a snowy white and his eyes shown.

The feeling of a kiss on his cheek tore his gaze away from the moon. He found himself in the meadow outside the Silvergrove where he and Rayla had met and played with the adoraburrs. He looked around, but there was no one who could have given him that kiss. When he felt the same on his other cheek, he continued to look, and a small burst of laughter betrayed whoever was doing this. He looked up at the moon and smiled fondly. Of course, Moonshadow elves and their near invisibility.

"I'm onto you, my little assassin." He announced, playfully, his eyes scanning the place in a way that had become second nature during his training with Ibis.

"Catch me if you can." Came Rayla's voice, closer than Callum had thought, and she punctuated her challenge with a peck on his forehead before he felt her leaping away. She must have been leaping because only small patches of grass were disturbed, one by one. Feeling invigorated, he kept his eyes peeled, looking for her. He could occasionally hear grass rustling, alerting him to general directions. The process was only interrupted by the occasional kiss planted on him followed by retreating laughter. Finally, after Callum focused his eyes, he could see some sort of distortion in the air that looked almost like an outline of nothing. He followed this oddity keenly and bolted forward when it got near enough, finally capturing the mischievous elf, who appeared in his arms at last. They fell to the ground laughing, and his diligence was reworded with a long, deep kiss.

* * *

This awakening was more peaceful than it had been before with the sky arcanum. After the near constant darkness of the dream, the sun was blinding, so he tried to shield his eyes with his arm as he got up. The motion also awakened Rayla, who he was surprised to see had come to him. She sat up with him. He was pleased to see that the sun was setting; he could show everyone immediately.

"Hey." He said, his voice quiet.

"Hey." She replied, also quiet.

"You feeling better?" Callum's eyes dropped to her neck. The bruises where nearly gone and the scratches where beginning to heal themselves.

"Yeah, Braise fixed me up." Rayla said. "So, the moon arcanum." Callum smiled.

"I've got it." He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders and pressed their foreheads together. "I really owe you and Claudia." Rayla gave him a puzzled look. "I'll explain later. I've been thinking about how I wanted to show everyone when I connected to the moon arcanum and I think I know exactly what I want to do."

"And?" Rayla asked and Callum stood up, smiling as he pulled her to her feet.

"Come on, it's something everyone needs to see."

Within the hour, Callum, Rayla, Queen Zubeia, Zym, Lujanne and the Dragonguard minus Amer – who seemed to have disappeared – stood at the entrance to the sleeping chambers as he drew the rune and cast the spell for a second time. "Historia Viventem."

Callum smiled as the spell worked, this time without a moon opal. So, he could truly connect to the other arcanums. His smile fell as the illusion completed itself, culminating in the egg, with elves standing around it. He took and held Rayla's hand; she'd probably need it. He felt her tense as they watched the scene unfold, him for the second time. They all watched as Lain and Tiadrin refused to abandon the egg, then fought bravely against Viren, tricking him into taking the egg instead of destroying it. Rayla's heart picked up as Verin retrieved that wretched coin sack, speaking of repaying them. The vision cut out, though, just as he was approaching the ice.

Silence. Rayla's eyes were blurry with tears at seeing them again, hearing their voices after so long. Meanwhile, Lykis and Malin exchanged astonished looks. They...really hadn't run.

"Thank you." Rayla's tearful words broke the silence as she leaned into Callum. He released her hand in exchange for holding her as she cried.

The next few minutes were a blur. They found themselves in the main room; she needed to get away from the crowd. After a couple on minutes, Lujanne approached, holding a large book.

"Callum." She said and he stood up. "This is a book of moon spells and runes. I thought this would be easier on you if you still plan to travel around. I can't really leave the Nexus for too long, certainly not that long."

"Thanks, Lujanne." Callum took it and somehow suppressed the urge to start flipping through it then and there.

"Moon magic is the easiest to learn." She told him and her face took on a mournful look. "Things were never the same after we lost the Scepter of Shadows."

"I remember hearing about that." Callum said as Rayla got to her feet. "Ibis told me about the six Primal Scepters. Before the days of dark magic, the unicorns created the primal stones to allow humans to do magic, and one stone each was taken by the elves to be made into sculptures that strengthened their magic."

Lujanne nodded. "And today, only half of them remain. The Scepter of Night, of the Startouch elves was said to have been made into a tool of dark magic that the humans took with them on their trail to the west. The Sculpture of Radiance was lost just before the Battle of the Storm Spire, and our own Scepture of Shadows has been gone for centuries. Some say it was stolen, others that it was hidden away to protect it from dangerous hands. Before either of you ask, mages have searched the Moon Nexus, casting reveal spells from top to bottom."

"What if it was destroyed?" Callum asked, "Or corrupted like the Scepter of Radiance?"

"If it had been, our magic would have been weakened." Lujanne told him. "But if generations of elves couldn't find it, at least we know it's well-hidden. Getting back to a lighter topic, Callum, with how bright and diligent you are, you'll probably have the magic mastered in a matter of months." Callum beamed, feeling pride at this estimate. "I really should be getting back to the Nexus, so it's time to gather up Lykis and Malin so we can get to the Si –"

A dragon came from nowhere, racing through the main room and down the passage to the chambers. Callum and the elves needed to scurry out of the way in order to avoid being run over. They were all startled and confused.

In the chambers, Queen Zubeia was surprised to see the young water dragon. A small silvery thing: water dragons where the smallest and slimmest of the dragons, with long, serpentine bodies that allowed them to slip through tight spaces like water. Many of them had sort, flowing manes that resembled some sort of underwater plant. His eyes were wide with terror.

The young dragon lowered his head and whined in apology, scooting himself close to the queen and gave tiny nips to her jawline, a display of subordination. Queen Zubeia snarled at him in demand. What was so important that he had to come barging into her chambers with no warning? And if something so urgent was happening, this wasn't the time for archaic rituals of hierarchy. Adult dragons often did this with the younger ones, the speechless ones. They'd speak to them in their own growls and noises, common speech reserved for conversations with elves and humans. The water dragon was clearly fearful as he clearly got to his point. Zubeia's eyes widened in fear. She immediately turned to her guard.

"All of you stay here. Protect Azymondias with your lives." She told them and quickly walked out of the chambers, followed closely by the young water dragon. Zym was cowering; he'd understood the noises his mother and the stranger made, and what he heard had frightened him. He ran to Ibis, the most familiar face among the crowd. He wined and was trembling violently. The Skywing elf held and tried to sooth him.

Callum, Rayla and Lujanne were surprised to see the queen appear, followed by the water dragon. "You three," her voice was demanding, "get onboard the young one. I'll call others." She carried on to the door as the water dragon lowered himself to allow the human and elves to climb on. Just as Lujanne, the final passenger, settled, the queen let out a deafening bellow; a summon for all the dragons who could hear.

"What's happening?" Callum asked, now thoroughly shook. He tried to prepare for anything, but he couldn't have prepared himself for the answer he got.

"We must get to the border." the queen said. "It's Sol Regem. He means to burn Katolis and all of its inhabitants to the ground."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Modesty Time: To anyone who likes that 'elf knows more about being human' line, I'm afraid I can't really take credit for it; it's a line from the new Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Fantastic watch, btw, if you liked Sonic as a kid, I totally recommend it. Anyway, I think connecting to an arcanum is generally a neutral, if not pleasant, experience, the only reason Callum had such a rough time with the sky came from anxiety and the dark magic that made him sick. Now that he has a more solid direction in life, he'll have an easier time with the others. Review.


	10. Archbattle

**Chapter Ten: Archbattle**

Callum and Rayla's orders had been simple. Rayla would go to Ezran's court and warn them, send word out immediately to evacuate the capital. Callum would be flying from town to town warning others, as his face would probably be more trusted then Rayla's among people who hadn't met them. A legion of dragons would be in his company to carry people to a safe place – the foot of the Storm Spire, guarded by another dragon who had been appointed to protect their human visitors. Hopefully, Sol Regem would be stopped, but one couldn't be too careful.

* * *

"Sol Regem!" a loud roar penetrated the air, gaining the old archdragon's attention. Despite his inability to see, he turned around to where the voice had come from in acknowledgement, feeling the queen's body landing on the ground near him. He could feel her eyes on him. Above them, a horde of dragons flew overhead, toward the human lands. Given the Queen's tone, he could imagine what they were doing. "Stand down!"

"Zubeia." He greeted.

"Queen Zubeia to you." She snarled.

"You are no queen of mine." Sol Regem growled. "You allow humans to return to Xadia and look what has happened. The human lovers are disgraceful enough, but what is this of dark mages? Invading our lands, slaying our elves, stealing magic. All on your watch, practically with your blessing!"

"The crimes of a few does not warrant the death of thousands of innocence!"

"No human is innocent." The old dragon growled. "A Moonshadow elf called a human friend, and this 'friend' still reeked of dark magic." Zubeia roared and lunged at Sol Regem, wings open and lightening emerging from her body.

* * *

Rayla thanked her lucky stars that the castle guards had as least seen her before, this would be so much worse if she was being stopped every five steps and interrogated about her intentions, or worse apprehended as a prisoner before she could get to Ezran. Another thing she could be thankful for was that it wasn't that late. She ignored their perplexed and questioning looks and was startled when she felt someone grab her arm to stop her.

"Whoa, what's the emergency?" Corvus asked.

"We need to get to Ezran." Rayla panted. "You're under attack!" No further words were needed as Corvus joined Rayla in running to the throne room.

* * *

Callum, on the other hand, had not been having much luck so far. His first stop had been the snow village at the foot of the Cursed Caldera. From which, only Ellis, Ava, the vet who had assisted him and Ezran with the dying egg and about forty or fifty others had heard him out and promptly hopped onto a dragon's back to be flown to safety. Most of the villagers, though, either dismissed Callum as talking nonsense or flat-out refused to leave their homes and lives for something that might not even happen. He wished so badly that he could have more time to convince the rest of the village, but time was of the essence; he had to move on.

* * *

Sol Regem was reeling from the shock and almost without thinking sent a stream of fire Zubeia's way. By the quick swooshing sound, the sound of wings, she had taken to the sky to avoid it. All dragons had to have a recovery period after using their primal magic, so at least he wouldn't be shocked again for a while. He took to the sky after her, his flight far more clumsy and slower, being much older and with holes and nicks in his once brilliant wings. In a way, it was easier in the sky, allowing him to hear the constant swooping sound of her wings. He knew it was her; their battle was an archbattle – a face-off between two archdragons, a duel in which no other being was allowed to intrude lest they be instantly killed by one or both combatants.

Sol Regem went for Zubeia, gnashing his teeth when she moved her tail out of their way and used the moment of confusion to slam a great paw into the back of his neck. The distraction of the blow allowed her to get away for the moment.

* * *

Back at the spire, things were calmer. The prince had at least stopped his whimpering, only because he found his pleads unanswered. He was taking great comfort in Ibis's presence, resting his chin on the elves lap. Braise sat with them, stroking his mane in long, slow sweeps, looking very concerned at him. Zym was too scared to notice. Why did that mean archdragon have to burn the humans? Where was his mother? Where were Callum and Rayla? Would Ezran be okay? From what the little dragonling understood, fire could hurt humans. He didn't want any of them to be hurt. Only a few of them were mean, most of them were so nice.

* * *

"This is my kingdom. I have to protect it in whatever way I can." Ezran insisted, the castle staff and their families now on five dragons, ready to take off. Amaya had been the last to board, having disappeared for a minute of two to retrieve some sort of picture. "Get yourselves to safety, I'll catch up later."

"I'm staying." Soren insisted, looking unwavering and unusually serious. Ezran allowed this only because Soren seemed to have his own reasons for this, not just his duties as a crown guard, and there was no more time to argue.

"Go, now!" Ezran demanded, stunningly authoritative for an eleven-year-old, and the human-laden dragons rose into the sky, ignoring the frightened protests of several of their passengers. There was a single dragon left, the one Rayla had ridden in on, meant to fly them to wherever they needed to be. The three wordlessly climbed and settled themselves on the dragon and it took off in the opposite direction to the others, leaving the capital of Katolis totally empty for the first time since it's construction.

* * *

At the Storm Spire, the collection of frightened humans grew. There were maybe a thousand of them with more on the way. Some humans were searching for friends or family, those who had found each other making every effort to stay together in the massive mob. Several were berating stubborn relatives who had refused to come. Parents tried to calm their frightened children. They had all flown over the archbattle, and every one of them now knew that these strangers and their king had spoken the truth. Everything was dark, but the moon and stars were out, so it wasn't completely black.

"Moonshadow Elves!" A shout rang out. Perhaps by instinct, fear rose up. The Moonshadow elf in the company of the king had seemed friendly enough, but she was only one elf. There were five of them, looking as young as that very elf, coming at the humans with weapons and hatred in their eyes.

A massive tail slammed down before the elves could get too close. The dragon swept his tail away from the humans and into the elves, carrying them to his body before he tightly wrapped his tail around his form like a cat, trapping the elves between his tail and flank. The dragon turned toward the spire and let out loud enough noises that they carried up the massive mountain, but not loud enough to deafen their human guests. A few brave children broke free from the crowd and went to investigate, against the alarmed protests of their parents.

For all of them, it was the first time they'd seen an elf or dragon up close, and the dragon tightened his tale, watching closely to make sure nothing happened. Most of the kids were frightened at the looks they were getting from the elves, deep scowls and eyes glowing with rage. Their elders looked on in amazement as three Skywing elves flew down from the spire. The kids looked at the trio, two winged elves on either side of a darkly colored elf whose wings melted into arms.

These three seemed far more peaceful then the Moonshadow elves as they approached them. The now wingless elf drew a spiraling rune and the kids watched in wonder has he performed a spell with a curious incantation. "Ventus Sparalis."

The kids were stunned as they themselves where caught up in the spell, maybe thanks to being so close to the caster. They each could feel a rush of air entering their bodies, but other than that, nothing seemed to happen.

"So, you five are back." the caster spoke. "Lesson unlearned, I see."

"Go die in a pit!" one of them snarled. This request was unheeded as he and another elf were apprehended by the two winged elves, who bolted up into the clouds. By now, the other humans had joined the children in watching the spectacle. Another one of the Moonshadow elves seemed to take up the burden of complaining in the absence of his friend. "These are humans! We already have our own troubles as it is, let the lower creatures fend for themselves!"

By now, the illusion of threat was waning for many of the humans. These Moonshadow elves weren't the same deadly assassins who had stealthily infiltrated their lands and murdered their old king; they were little more than a band of whiny teenagers, barely even adults. The Skywing elves seemed to share their sentiments as they returned and took two more, leaving the last elf trapped beneath a tail.

"For the time being, they are our guests at the Storm Spire and are not to be harmed." the Skywing elf said. "You five, on the other hand. This is the second time you've tried to invade the Storm Spire itself in the name of some petty vendetta. Queen Zubeia will decide your fate when she returns. Until then, I'm sure your father will want to hear all about your travels." As if on cue, the remaining elves returned yet again and both were needed to restrain this one as he kicked and struggled like a madman. They flew up the mountain the third time as the dragon finally let its tail rest.

The elf turned back to the humans, giving them a peaceful look. Some of them backed away when he spread his arms out and spoke a longer incantation that made the runes on his arms light up. The humans watched in amazement, the children in excitement, as feathers emerged from his arms, which shaped themselves into huge black wings. With a massive flap, he shot into the sky like an arrow, quickly disappearing into the clouds.

* * *

The two powerful dragons fell from the sky over Katolis in a heap. Sol Regem roared as Zubeia bit him in his neck, her jaws clamping harder and harder until, finally, his hard neck plates had been punctured. The taste of blood was on her teeth. Sol Regem broke free by swiping a claw across her face, leaving a decently sized gash near her eye; not life-threatening, but it would scar. As the queen let go and reeled in pain, Sol Regem pounced, holding her down, a claw pressing her face into the ground. He was larger and stronger; struggling was useless. A low, menacing laugh entered her ears.

"Watch, young one. Watch justice in the making." Sol Regem growled and Zubeia saw that they had fallen so near the capital of Katolis. She watched helplessly as the sun dragon let loose a huge stream of fire, lighting up the capitol like a massive torch. When he moved his head, the surrounding landscapes were also set ablaze. This was bad; Katolis, she knew was heavily forested. The whole kingdom would be on fire in moments. Above them, her fellow dragons hovered, watching in terror as the fire spread quicker than any fire they had ever seen.

Sol Regem didn't stop. His attack had never gone on this long. His throat was burning, and Zubeia saw flames spurting out of the plates she had bitten. Then, she understood. Those protective plates also protected him from his own fire, kept it on a proper course. Those holes were allowing the flames to escape, burning the old dragon. Sol Regem was dying, and he was letting loose everything he had, all of his rage, before he cooked himself from the inside out.

Soon, Sol Regem ran out of both fire and strength. Zubeia quickly pushed him off of her, letting him fall onto the ground. She took to the sky, fleeing. There was nothing more that could be done here in the current state of things. Sol Regem listened to her go, exhausted and burning. He laughed wickedly. He had done it; an entire kingdom of humans was now gone. He didn't care when he felt his wings disintegrating in the flames, the fire burning his body. He had won this one. Sol Regem gathered his strength to lift his massive head and, despite his charred, damaged throat, let out a roar of victory and triumph, which echoed around him as he was finally engulfed in his own flames.

Zubeia flew to an outcropping, on which stood the four heroes of the hour; Callum, Rayla, Ezran and Soren, who had done all they could in evacuating the humans. She landed next to them, trying to hide her own exhaustion, particularly from the humans. Callum, Soren and Ezran were in shock seeing their home, the entire kingdom, burning uncontrollably. Rayla could only look in sympathy, not feeling qualified to join in their sorrow. The smoke it gave off was enough to easily be seen from the Storm Spire; there was no question that the humans who had been saved now knew what had become of their kingdom.

Zubeia laid down a few feet from them with a heavy heart. She had failed. The sound of flying followed by the feel of another dragon landing beside her made her open her eyes. It was the water dragon from before. With authoritative warbles, she ordered him to gather all the water dragons he could; put out that fire and keep it from spreading to the other kingdoms. He was off like a shot.

Hidden from all eyes were a pair of elves, one unaware of the other. The visible elf looked on in horror. What had gone wrong? He hadn't meant for this to happen. He honestly just thought he'd give the humans a little scare when they heard that King Ezran was in danger, maybe even finally drive them apart by implicating the elves somehow. But he hadn't wanted this. His heart heavy, he turned around and ran; all that was left to do was to get back to the spire and, as his father would have put it, face is punishment like a man. He couldn't summon a dragon from where he was, they'd see him before he was ready. He was too scared to risk it; he'd pluck up his courage on the way over to the spire. The invisible elf just smiled at the carnage before him. This was just too perfect.

"We need to get out of here." Callum's voice was small and distant. He placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder as they stared at the fiery remains of their father's kingdom. The water dragon had returned with several others of his kind, along with Pyrrah to help transport the humans to the Storm Spire. Callum's previous declaration of needing to leave was all that was said for the entirety of the trip.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The next chapter was intended to be the final chapter with a sequel, until I realized there is no reason to do that, why not just make it one long story that changes? So, there will just be a time skip between chapters eleven and twelve. Since some of you are having trouble finding my poll on Aaravos and I have no idea how to fix it, this time I'll just ask your suggestions right here; both on that and how long the time skip should be. Review.


	11. Titles Gained, Titles Lost

**Chapter Eleven: Titles Gained, Titles Lost**

It didn't take long for word to spread all over both Xadia and the remaining four kingdoms. The kingdom of Katolis had been destroyed, the Dragon Queen had arranged an evacuation of as many humans as possible, saving and sheltering around just over a thousand out of the thousands and thousands that had called the kingdom home. She had stalled and slain the attacker, the old archdragon Sol Regem. A team of water dragons had both put out the flames and kept it from spreading to the neighboring kingdoms, a gesture that would be remembered in itself.

* * *

Queen Zubeia was exhausted as she finally made it back to the spire. Her only condolence was the crowd of humans at the foot of the mountain – the humans she had managed to save. She returned to her chambers on the verge of collapse. She knew she had to stay awake, though.

"Your Majesty!" Ibis gasped, seeing the bleeding gash on her face and the small burns littered throughout her body.

"Sol Regem is dead." She said. "Katolis is gone." The elves gave each other shocked looks as she finally settled down and Zym ran up to her. She smiled as he nuzzled her. "It's okay, Azymondias. I'll be alright." She spoke soothingly.

"Your Greatness, your face." Jinku started.

"It's okay, Jinku." The queen said. "It'll heal. For now, I must rest. In the meantime, tell the humans they are welcome to stay here if such is their wish. They will be under our protection. All of you, take previsions down to them for the night; blankets, lanterns and whatever else they might need. First thing tomorrow you are to gather all of the elves willing to help, bring them here to help the humans in whatever they wish to do."

"Forgive me, Your Majesty" Lykis said. "The rogue Moonshadow elves have come back, this time to attack the humans. They have been apprehended and await your judgment."

"Tell Callum and Rayla." She said. "They won't stop until they confront her. Make sure at least two of you are present to protect her, the rogues will surely try something. Has anyone seen Amer as of yet?"

"Not since last morning, my queen." Malin said. "We'll continue to keep our eyes open." The queen nodded.

"Good, good." She laid her head down. Zym was delighted she had come home after these terrifying last hours and cuddled up with her. She rested her head by him. "You all have your orders, but I must rest now. I will see you all in the morning."

The Dragonguard bowed and left the chambers for the main room, from which they would enter the storage area. The queen's eyes closed, and the chamber was soon filled with the rhythmic breathing of mother and son, sleeping away a stressful few hours.

* * *

The humans watched from below as three dragons, smaller than the queen, flew away from the spire. One heading for the Moonshadow Forest, another for some place ahead of the Storm Spire and the last toward the ruins of their kingdom. The Skywing elves again swooped down from the mountain, their arms laden with blankets and lanterns. Ibis, Jinku and the other Skywing elf disappeared somewhere in the crowd, quickly acceding back into the sky once they had been relived of their loads. As they kept leaving and returning with blankets and lanterns, one by one, those lanterns lite up the crowd. This continued for perhaps an hour.

Afterword, Ibis landed close to Callum, Soren, Ezran and Rayla, who were clustered a small way apart from the crowd, with three blankets and a single lantern between them. The princes kept close together under one of the bigger blankets, while Soren and Rayla each had a smaller one. Opeli and Amaya both watched him closely, the general holding the lantern in her hand and her picture under her arm. They had each seen him but had never spoken to him. They relaxed a little when Callum and Rayla promptly rose and hugged him in turn. Opeli didn't know, but Callum had spoken of his old mentor to Amaya many times. This must have been him.

A pair of sun dragons appeared, each with a single rider; Braise and Queen Janai. Out of anyone's sight, Amer was creeping around the side of the spire. He had been debating on taking the long way up the mountain to keep a low profile, he supposed he had to now. Unaware of his presence, Janai instantly leapt off of her dragon and made a beeline for Amaya. Many were surprised to see the two wrap their arms around each other and share a deep kiss; some of them knew that their army general was romantically involved with the Sunfire Queen, but actually seeing it was something else.

When the kiss ended, Janai asked; "Is anyone hurt? What happened?"

"I can answer that." Ibis said, walking over to them from the kids, who he had finished consoling. Ezren and Soren were wandering off, leaving Callum and Rayla alone. "Sol Regem attacked their home." Janai's eyes grew wide with horror; Sol Regem was revered by her people, why would... "I don't know why, but he chose now to set the kingdom ablaze. Thousands of lives have been lost this night. Queen Zubeia managed to save these humans and Sol Regem is now dead."

Janai and Braise both seemed to despair at this; who in the world would they break all of this to the Sunfire elves? Amaya began signing, and Gren translated. "Does the queen know why he attacked?"

"I do not know." Ibis admitted. "But the battle has exhausted her majesty. She needs to rest now."

* * *

"Opeli, Corvus?" Ezran was able to find them easily as they'd been looking for him. "Can we talk?" The two exchanged concerned looks before they followed him to a large, jutting stone as a landmark for a meeting place. Soren was already there.'

* * *

As Ibis was relating what he knew from Queen Zubeia to Amaya, Gren and Janai, and Ezran was having a makeshift meeting with his closest advisers, Callum sat apart from most people, holding on to Rayla as if he believed they she , too, would somehow be taken from him if he didn't keep her close. Her arms were around his neck and his face was buried in her collarbone. Neither of them were crying, but both were clearly heartbroken and scared. Rayla was slowly petting his hair.

"Callum, Rayla." It was Ellis, Ava faithfully at her side. They broke apart to look at her, she'd grown some in the past year.

"Hey, Ellis." Callum greeted as they came up to them. He gave a grunt as Ava somehow managed to overpower and flatten him to the ground with her one forepaw to lick his face, her tail now wagging away. Callum found himself smiling as he pushed the wolf off of him, hearing the girls laugh. "Okay, Ava, it's great seeing you, too."

"So, what have you guys been doing?" Ellis asked as Callum got back up. He and Rayla exchanged smirks as Callum slowly brought an arm out, making sure to face away from the crowd. Ellis watched in amazement as he drew a rune in the air, and with a cry of "Fulminus", a bolt of lightening shot from his hand. All eyes turned toward Callum in amazement. Rayla smiled as he turned back to Ellis, looking very proud. Callum and Rayla had expected something simple like 'that was amazing' or 'I didn't know that was possible'. Instead, what they got was a mystified "You're the White Mage."

"The what?" Callum asked, only vaguely registering the surprised looks of most of the humans and the amused looks of Amaya, Janai and Ibis; they must have just assumed he was showing off.

"The White Mage." Ellis said. "A human mage who can do real magic, no dark magic and no primal stone. I can't believe…I mean, I thought it could have been you, but…Oh, wow, I know the White Mage!"

The announcement seemed to start something and suddenly, Callum and Rayla were surrounded by a small swarm of children, gushing about the White Mage and marveling at the Moonshadow elf whose eyes were so much kinder than the others had been. They supposed this wasn't a bad thing to lift morale.

"Others?" Rayla asked. "What others?"

"Pardon me," an adult said. "But there were five other Moonshadow elves, about your age. They were taken up that mountain when they tried to attack us. The Skywing elves said something about awaiting judgment from the queen." Above the renewed expressions of aw at the memory of the Skywing elf who saved them, the kids started back up. Callum stepped apart from the crowd and smiled at the kids' rapt attention as he summoned his mage wings. The kids were amazed as Rayla wrapped her arms around Callum's neck and held on tight as he lifted them up and flew into the clouds; it was time to end this.

* * *

"Do away with the monarchy?" Corvus asked, matching the astonished looks of the other adults in the circle. Amaya, Gren, Ibis and Janai had joined the conversation. Ezran stood fast. "Why?"

"After Da- King Harrow's death, Callum and I went missing." Ezran explained. "And from what I understand, everything was thrown into chaos. Viren kept making grabs for the throne and in all that time, the kingdom was without a ruler. Something like that can't be allowed to happen again. I'm eleven. I took up the throne at ten, and I was suddenly responsible for an entire kingdom. And a part of being responsible is admitting when something isn't working and changing it. I have two final decrees as king. The first is that Katolis and its monarchy are gone. From now on, we'll be a village, right here at the foot of the Storm Spire." He turned to Ibis. "Ibis, what's the ancient draconic word for 'new start'?"

"Novus, sire." Ibis bowed respectively, despite Ezran's decree.

"Novus." He repeated, testing it out. "Okay, the village Novus. And you said all kinds of elves are on their way to help us get too our feet?" The elf nodded again.

"Forgive me, Ezran," Opeli said. "But you seem to have given this some thought already."

"Yeah." He admitted. "From the moment Rayla told me about the attack. I knew this was a possibility, so I've been thinking about it. I admire Queen Anya and King Jiro for it, but I can't take being a child ruler. Kids aren't meant to be in courtrooms, making huge decisions and keeping the peace, that's what adults are for. Maybe I'm just tired, but I know this will be the better option. Novus, a village under a council and the Dragon Queen's protection; a place where humans and elves can live together."

The bit about the elves didn't surprise anyone. Given both his brother and aunt's relationships with elves, it was to be expected, almost. Opeli spoke up. "And the second decree?"

"Send letters to the four kingdoms." Ezran said. "Let them know what happened, that we are okay and not to attack Xadia over this."

"Very well, they will go out before the morning." Opeli bowed as Ezran removed his crown, feeling a massive weight lift from his shoulders along with it. He held it to a confused Opeli, who took it carefully. Confusion became surprise at the former king's next words.

"Opeli, I think you should lead the council."

* * *

Callum and Rayla were greeted by a furious roar when they arrived at the top of the spire. "Out of my sight, Amer, before I have your head!"

The aforementioned elf ran from the cavern and stopped short of bumping into them. The female Skywing elf appeared beside them, alerted by the roar. Queen Zubeia was awake, and angry by the look in her eyes as she appeared in the entrance of the spire.

"What's happening?" Callum asked.

"Tell them, Amer." The dragoness growled, her voice dangerously low. "Tell them exactly what you did."

Amer had lost his cocky and regal bearing and now cowered like…well, a coward before them. Amer had done nothing to put himself in the good graces of either Callum or Rayla, so they had no reason to be sympathetic to him. He stammered.

"I-I went to Sol Regem and t-told him about you and your aunt, and also of the dark mages and Aaravos." He muttered. Callum's mind went blank and fists clinched and were now shaking in rage. All of those people, dead. His old home, now gone forever. All because of Amer. The boy was seeing red. "I didn't mean for it to go this far, I just thought if I could –"

Amer didn't get to defend himself further, because Callum had slammed a fist right into his now bloody nose. Had the two elf girls not been so disgusted with Amer, they might have turned shocked eyes to Callum, who neither had ever seen act this way before. Rayla thought that Amer should count himself lucky that it was Callum and not a less forgiving soul. If it was her, she'd make sure he couldn't move for a month. Amer turned back to Queen Zubeia, annoying Rayla with the show of disrespect to Callum.

"I deserve whatever you decide." He dropped to his knees and bowed low, nose practically to the stone floor, creating a spot of blood. The queen scoffed dismissively.

"Vengeance is pointless." She said. "I meant to take revenge on the human King Harrow and his son in vengeance for my own mate and egg, and I woke up the next morning to see that nothing had changed. The king was dead, but Avizandum and our little one were still gone. So instead, you are dismissed from the Dragonguard and released into the custody of Queen Janai. I'm sure she'll know very well what to do with you."

"Your Greatness," the Skywing elf bowed. "Queen Janai is already here. She saw the trouble and came here on her own, it seems."

"Very well." She nodded. "Take him down to the crowd and tell Queen Janai everything. Tell her I leave it to her to decide his fate. Now go."

The Skywing elf took Amer, who had gone pale at the prospect of his fate being in Janai's hands. She would be so furious, he almost wished Zubeia would deal with him herself. He was silent as they flew down the spire, leaving Callum, Rayla and the queen alone. She eyed them.

"We were told about the Moonshadow elves that keep following us." Callum said.

"They are in the holding chambers." She told him, her tone having calmed down. "Do come back in the morning, though. There is much to talk about." The pair bowed before leaving that Queen Zubeia returned to the chamber.

* * *

The holding chamber was a blank room, not unlike a prison cell in the lack of anything present. Callum was ready for how they instantly jumped at them, performing a spell called 'Aspiro Everro', which produced a gust that swept through the room, knocking each of them against the far wall, to which he quickly froze them to with Aspero Frigis. As the five struggled against the ice, Rayla and Callum took the intruders in.

"Rayla! Get away from him!" one of them yelled to her. It was the elf who had given Ibis trouble at the foot of the spire. His skin was only a little lighter than Ethari's, his hair was spikey and the markings below his eyes looked like lightening bolts.

"Hi, Sirus." Rayla greeted, in a tone that said that she was already tired of this conversation. She took Callum's hand, fingers laced, and she held them up to show the clasped hands to the shocked elves. "Guys, this is Callum. He's –"

"A human." Another elf sneered. He had short hair, his bangs long and feathered into spikes. His markings were simple lines beneath his eyes. "Now they're infesting Xadia again!"

"Infesting?" Callum asked, trying not to be offended.

"We don't know what you did to her," Sirus snarled at Callum. "how you managed to charm both her and the Dragon Queen, but your little game ends here, human." Callum and Rayla shared a laugh at this; it was usually her who had been accused of kidnapping the boys in their earlier travels. It was quite the amusing little switch.

"The only thing Callum did was be there for me when you all dropped me without a second thought." Rayla was visibly annoyed now. Callum, to calm her down, released her hand and moved his hand to her shoulder, pulling her to him.

"Don't touch her!" Sirus growled. "She's mine."

This little declaration intrigued Callum, as well as the tired looks Sirus was now getting from not only Rayla, but his friends as well. He gave her a teasing smirk. "Old fling of yours? Should I be jealous?" As he asked this last question, he made a point of moving behind Rayla and grabbing her from behind, holding her close. Rayla laughed; he was gloating.

"He wishes." She told him and turned herself around in his arms. He wasn't the only one who felt like flaunting this taboo in his enemy's faces, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him; a deep, long kiss that nearly made his knees go week. She smiled into it, hearing the protests of the others.

"You know, if he wasn't a human, this would actually be kind of cute." said a female with longer hair then Rayla's and her eyes flanked by crescent moons.

"Kiara, snap out of it." Sirus snapped. "He's corrupted her! The Rayla we know wouldn't have left the others to die, she wouldn't have fought alongside the humans or befriended them!"

"Yet, here we are." Rayla quipped dryly, still holding on to Callum. He sighed.

"Look," he started, "it's been a rough day for us. We're not really in the mood for this and there's a bigger threat out there. There are dark mages and Aaravos wandering around."

"You brought him back?" Sirus went wide-eyed. "They said you were a mage, but not this dangerous."

"Sirus, if you're not going to listen, we're leaving!" Rayla declared. "We have better things to be doing right now. We'll just let your dad know to have you guys dropped off somewhere you won't bother us for a while."

Sirus had gone red with rage and struggled against the ice as Rayla, then Callum left and shut the door, leaving them in the room alone again.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** 'Novus' is Latin for 'New' and 'Everro' is a rough translation of 'Sweep'. So far, I've only gotten one suggestion for a timeskip, a long three years. Seems a bit excessive, I was thinking six months at the least, two years at the most, especially how everyone probably knows Viren and Claudia are still out there, it's not like Callum or Amaya would keep something like that quiet. Review.


	12. Lured

**Chapter Twelve: Lured**

Callum knew from the changing leaves that autumn was here. He'd smelled it on the air and the trees. Now he longed for that brisk, nostalgic scent as his nose was filled with the stench of ashes and char. Even now, the ruins of Katolis were still overwhelming. So silent, gray and eerie. All that was left of the once magnificent kingdom was a vast, dead wasteland. The largest thing in sight was sickening for many reasons; the body of Sol Regem, darkened with burns. His throat was singed from the inside out in a way that made Callum grateful he hadn't eaten in a couple of hours. Parts had been lost in the battle or fire, most noticeably the massive horns. Callum didn't go near it; he didn't want to again.

Callum scanned the area, not even sure what he was looking for. The utter silence made it easy to hear the noise; he flew north to where the noise was coming from and came to the road that marked the border with Duren. He could see a carriage being pulled along the road, looking like it came from wealth. He just barely managed to make out the insignia of Del Bar on the coach. They passed him and the ruins; they must have been in a hurry. He couldn't imagine what they wanted in Xadia, but he flew on ahead to Novus. He wasn't sure if these were delegates or enemies, but one couldn't be too careful in these times. A bit overprotective of his new home? Perhaps, but given recent happenings, Callum felt perfectly justified in it.

* * *

From looking at it, one would never think that Novus was under two years old. It was probably the elves that they owed that efficiency to. All kinds of elves had shown up under royal decree to get things running. Earthblood elves assisted with agriculture and medicine, Sunfire elves with smithery and more advanced construction, Moonshadow and Skywing elves helping with anything that had needed help with. Some had even chosen to stay. A dozen or so Earthblood elves, whose home had apparently also been recently ravaged, a smaller handful of Sunfire elves and no more than three Skywing elves. The Moonshadow elves had only come under the royal decree and had all gone home the moment the town was up and running; Rayla remained as the sole Moonshadow elf living in the town. Some Tidebound elves expressed interest in staying, but there wasn't a big enough water source nearby, something they needed to live. There was a river that fed a large lake close by, but even it wasn't big enough for all the elves, who were each used to having miles of territory. All-in-all, the village was still mostly humans with no more then thirty elves calling the place their home.

Among other things, the small village boasted prosperous farms courtesy of the Earthblood elves, a forge as a gift from the Sunfire elves, and a large building – not so grand as the palace had been, but in comparison to the many simpler homes – meant for meetings of the council. The people had settled remarkably fast, with many such as the animal doctor or the baker from the palace simply falling back into the lots they had back in Katolis. Any children orphaned in the attack were taken in by one of the many willing villagers who had also lost family, something that Callum and Ezran, being orphans themselves, personally saw to. And it was all under a blue flag with a now familiar insignia of a broken chain on it. Well, the flag wasn't a literal flag that stood on a pole and blew in the wind, it was more of a symbol sewn into draperies and signs within the village; Opeli - who now bore the former crown of Katolis not as a queen, but as leader of their council - had quickly come to the conclusion that making spectacles of themselves would be an unwise move even with the protection they had been promised.

Callum flew over the village and intended to land in front of the council building, but he instead landed near some kind of scene. There was something happening in the square in front of the council building, villagers crowded around so he couldn't see it. His wings hadn't dissipated yet, so he fluttered over the crowd and inserted himself into whatever was happening. Viren, Claudia and a cloaked figure that Callum could tell was Aaravos were on the ends of spears and swords, surrounded by the remains of the castle staff. Opeli was glaring at the trio, flanked by either Soren or Amaya. Callum elected to land behind his aunt, a place in which he was sure to be seen but wouldn't get in the middle of what was happening. Claudia and Aaravos's eyes followed him.

"What do you mean the monarchy is gone?" Viren asked, looking astonished. At least, Callum thought it was Viren. His skin was frighteningly pale, his eyes dull and sunken in and his frame was as though he'd aged at least two decades in the last eighteen months.

"Just as I said." Opeli's voice was calm, somehow. Maybe it was how much she had come to loath Verin in the last couple of years, paired with the fact that he was before her on his knees with his fate ultimately up to her. "Ezran has decreed that the monarchy went with the kingdom. This village is under a council, and the protection of the Dragon Queen."

"Have you lost your mind?" Viren yelled. "A dragon destroyed our home and killed thousands. And now you're putting your trust in another dragon?"

"And that dragon is the only reason any of us are alive." Opeli said. "She killed the one who did it. If you don't have anything useful to say –"

"You're all fools." It was the first time many had heard Aaravos speak and a pulse of energy emitted from the elf, sending the soldiers back several feet into the crowd, weapons dropped on the ground. The three rose, and Aaravos removed his hood. A frightened gasp ran through the elves. Claudia was glaring furiously at Soren and he back at her, though no words were spoken. Viren reached into his cloak and pulled out something that made Callum feel ill.

It was a piece of one of Sol Regem's horns. Those parts hadn't been singed off; they had been harvested. By how much had he and the dark trio missed each other? Had they seen him flying overhead? He was so absorbed in these questions that he missed the spell that Viren spoke as he held the thing up and was engulfed in a light. Not a blinding one, but when it cleared, Viren stood taller, back to the imposing figure Callum had known as a child.

A familiar whining noise entered the younger mage's ears. For the first time he looked into the crowd to see Zym in Rayla's arms, Ezren standing beside her, and they were comforting him. At twelve, Ezren was getting taller and himself and Rayla seemed to have stopped growing; Callum was relieved that he was still taller than her, even if it was just the half-inch it was, without counting her horns. The Dragon Prince often came down for visits. The whine also acquired Viren's attention, and he remembered the power he felt as he had harvested the little one over two years ago. It had been euphoric. He hardly cared even now that he had momentarily forgotten his goals for humanity; it was only him and his power. His power. Rayla, seeing the man's line of sight, held the prince tighter as he tried to bury his face into her collarbone.

Seeing Viren's leer directed at Zym, Callum moved and stood protectively in front of Rayla and Ezren. The two mages exchanged rage-filled looks. Callum was a traitor who's sick lust for a vile elf had led him to abandon humanity, and Viren was a power-mad monster and had never been trustworthy. Callum's eyes flicked over to Claudia and Soren for a moment and he, of perhaps a millionth time, amused himself with the irony; Soren might not have been the sharp one growing up, but at least he was smart enough to see what was in front of him, which was more than could be said for his sister. Opeli broke up the potential fight as the soldiers got back up and retrieved their weapons, once again having the three at their mercy.

"Soren, Rayla, Callum." she spoke with authority. "See our…visitors out of Novus. Should they come back, we'll alert the Dragon Queen. I'm sure she'd be very interested to meet Viren."

* * *

Miles away, a small boy no older than six looked out the carriage window. He had no idea why they had suddenly gone to Xadia, but his father had taken up holding his baby sister, Gwyneth. His mother was looking out the opposite window, and he wished he knew what had her so scared. She'd been scared ever since Katolis was destroyed, even though those dragons had put out the fire before it could reach their kingdom. Mom said they needed to wait until Gwyneth was old enough to travel. From what little he understood, a few people survived and now lived in Xadia. Were they going to visit them?

"Faolan." His father said, getting his attention. "Come sit with me, mommy needs to rest a while."

"No, no." his mother said, picking Faolan up and placing him on her lap, even if he was starting to get a little big for it. She held him close and kissed his head as if he were the most precious thing in the world to her. What in the world was happening?

* * *

"How will your parents feel if they never see you again?"

The world seemed to fall away from Rayla as this was asked of her. She no longer cared that they were just outside of Novus and were supposed to be shooing the three of them away. She didn't care about the smug look on Viren's face as he knew his words had the desired effect. She barely even registered Callum's hand on her shoulder as Soren moved protectively in front of them, unsheathing his sword in a silent threat. She didn't join the boys in their vigilant stare as the three finally retreated. She just stumbled back a few steps before fully turning and running. She just needed to think. To be alone right now.

Rayla must have gotten people's attention before, because they seemed to be expecting the way Callum charged after her after he and Soren had at last seen Viren and his companions disappear from sight. Well, he actually lost her immediately, but it was pretty obvious where she was going: Home. It was one of the larger houses, close to the square. Between the prestigious occupants, it had almost been insisted that their home be among the one of the more comfortable, however humble it still was. Callum and Ezran might not have been princes anymore, but Callum was still a thing of amazement as a true human mage, Amaya doubled as a council member in addition to continuing her former work of training and leading warriors, of which Soren was also still a part of.

Officially, it was his, Ezran's and Aunt Amaya's home. Their aunt would probably continue raising them until Ezran came of age, and she seemed perfectly happy to do it. Soren had 'volunteered' to live there – despite his now being an adult – to continue protecting the boys, even if Callum could pretty much take care of himself now, and Ezren was back to being a normal kid with no royal obligations; a fact that he was enjoying very much. Callum had the feeling this continued protection from Soren was out of guilt over his father's crimes, though Callum didn't bring it up. It was like a silent understanding between them. Rayla had been included in the fold from the beginning, only on the condition that she have a room apart from the boys. Callum blushed as he remembered what had sparked this particular condition; before the completion of the house, he and Rayla had stayed up talking in his room. He remembered it had been a chilly night; that was why they'd cuddled up close under his covers, because of the cold, honestly. They had been awoken by whistles and hoots. Soren was giving them the biggest, most suggestive grin either had ever seen, and Ezran's eyes were being covered by a very shocked-looking Amaya. It had been mortifying.

Callum entered the house, finding it apparently empty – Aunt Amaya must still have been with the council. It was understandable, it was the first she'd seen Viren since the Battle of the Storm Spire, and now he was on some kind of crusade against the dragons, it looked like. He knew Rayla was in her room, though.

* * *

Rayla sat on her bed, her eyes set on the small portrait that she'd brought down from the Storm Spire and now kept close to her bed. Zym was with her. He whined and nudged his muzzle under her elbow, nuzzling her side when he squirmed into her arm. He licked her face and for it, finally got a couple of pets to his head. He looked at the picture, recognizing Rayla as a child, but not the two elves who had once been his protectors.

Rayla barely noticed Callum entering her room, but her eyes did flit over to him when he sat next to her, Zym scurrying out of his way.

"You okay?" he asked. Rayla didn't seem to hear him. "Rayla, don't listen to him. It's Viren, he can't be trusted."

"He knows what happened, Callum." Rayla said. "We both saw it. He didn't kill them; it was something about that pouch of his. Something about 'repaying' them."

Callum sighed; she wasn't letting this go. He guessed that was one reason he loved her, though. He took her face in his hand and gently turned her to look at him. "Look, we're going to do something. We'll find out what's happening, and then we'll send that monster back to the dim world for good."

Rayla took the hand whose fingers were cradling her cheek and pulled it away. "I just want to know that they're okay." Callum's heart gave a painful pang at her tone so he couldn't resist the urge to pull her to him and hold her. She wasn't crying, but she was in pain, that much was clear.

* * *

Soren had pieced together what had happened the moment he had seen his sister. Claudia had developed a white streak in her hair just from restoring his ability to move. He could imagine that something huge would be needed to whiten half of her hair. Something huge like bringing back the dead. He wasn't sure it was possible, but it made sense when magic was thrown into the mix; their father had died, and Claudia was so desperate that she had to bring him back. He shuttered to think what innocent creature had been butchered for such a huge spell.

* * *

It was dark when Rayla had finally woken up. The moon was low in the sky, it was nearly morning. She shivered, covered in sweat from the nightmare. She could still here them begging her for help. Not only her parents, but Runaan and the rest of her old assassination party. At one point she was a child again, the seven years she was when her parents had first left for the guard. Runaan and the others were all looking down at her with disgust, calling her a coward, a deserter and a traitor. Her parents were looking at her more sympathetically, telling her not to leave them, to save them. Heart still hurting, Rayla got up and left her room; this was something she had to do.

* * *

Of course, Amaya didn't hear the rummaging outside, but the events of yesterday had her on edge, leading to a restless night with spurts of wakefulness. Viren was back and in the company of an elf who once upon a time would have absolutely confirmed everything she had thought of them. Soren had come home with a crazy story of dark magic and his father being undead, and Rayla had been silent and turned in early. Frankly, Amaya was worried about more than one thing. Seeing the moon so low, she figured it was close to morning anyway, so she might as well get up.

At the same moment she opened her bedroom door, she saw the front door close on the ground floor, not even seeing who had shut it. Descending the stairs to investigate, she looked around the sitting room and, finding nothing, moved to the kitchen, where she finally found something. A note, sitting on the table. Amaya's eyes skimmed over it and her eyes widened. This wasn't good.

* * *

The sky was growing lighter. Rayla had left the village a little while ago. Her note had begged them not to follow her. She knew this was dangerous, and she didn't want anyone else in the crossfire. They were her parents, she had to do what she could to find them. She knew it was stupid, giving herself up to Viren, but at least she would know the truth about her parents, and she was confidant in her abilities to escape if they tried anything, which they probably would. A hand on her shoulder spooked her and she leapt away, twirled around and had her swords at her attacker's throat.

It was Amaya. Far from being phased, she was giving Rayla the stern glare of a parent whose child was mouthing off to them. The elf relaxed and put her swords away. Amaya began signing, and with no interpreter in sight, Rayla only had a vague idea of what she was saying, picking out the few signs she knew; 'what' 'think' and 'doing'. What do you think you're doing?

"Don't try to stop me." Rayla told her, earning herself an unimpressed look from the general. "Viren knows what happened to my parents. I need to go." Amaya signed once more, these being a complete mystery to the elf. She shook her head and extended her arms in a shrug; she didn't understand. Amaya rolled her eyes and Rayla could tell she was frustrated. She grabbed the elf by the chin, forcing her to look at her lips. She mouthed 'not alone, dangerous.' Rayla frowned, wriggled herself free and backed up.

"I don't care." Rayla said. "I already have family that I abandoned. I won't – I can't abandon this one."

Rayla turned around and continued. She wasn't surprised that Amaya was following her, witch she heard plainly behind her. Rayla wasn't going to give this up and, sympathetic or not, Amaya wasn't going to let that headstrong little idiot get herself killed.

* * *

Back at the house, Soren was the first to rise. He spotted the letter on the table when he went into the kitchen, now with a smaller slip of paper sitting atop it. He picked up and read the slip.

_Don't worry, I'll head her off. If we're not back by this time tomorrow, send help. – Amaya_

Soren looked at the letter and reached for it. Before he could take it, a knock at the door reached his ears. The sun wasn't even fully up; whatever this was might have been more urgent then whatever was on the letter. He decided he could read it in a moment.

When he got to the door, he opened it, seeing the family; a couple, a sleeping infant and a small child who was rubbing his eyes, it was so early. He was intrigued at the Del Bar colors they wore, and they seemed wealthy. Behind them was a four-horse coach, also looking wealthy.

"Soren?" The man asked, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You're alive. You're really okay." His wife brought a hand to her mouth and tears began welling up in her eyes. Her…familiar blue eyes.

"What'd going on?" Soren heard Ezran ask behind him followed by a yawn from Callum. Callum was at the foot of the stairs where Ezran was descending the steps.

A shutter of emotion ran through Soren as he finally remembered this woman from long ago. A single word escaped his lips: "Mom."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The term 'dim world' comes from a book series called _Wolves of The Beyond_, and it's the wolves' stand-in for Hell. Since hell has religious connotations and we don't know what, if any, religious beliefs are around in this world, hell is now 'the dim world', the part of the afterlife reserved for the wicked. Review.


	13. Stars In A Line

**Chapter Thirteen: Stars In A Line**

Things were tense in the sitting room. Soren was eyeing each of the family in turn with care, unsure of what to say or do. He and Ezran were sitting in a pair of chairs separated by a small table, across from which was a couch, on which the family sat. The man was looking awkward, the child still half-asleep and the woman was looking at Soren steadily. Callum, during all this, was standing behind one of the chairs.

"Soren." His mother said, gaining his full attention. "When Katolis burned down, I was so scared for you and your sister. I had to make sure you were okay; I would have come sooner but –" she paused to look at him. At the mention of his sister, something shifted in Soren's face and he glanced away. Her eyes widened with panic. "Claudia's not –"

"She's alive." Was Soren's short response, to which his mother sighed in relief. "But…she sided with Dad in the war. I offered her the chance to come with me to get away from him, but she chose to stay with him. She was part of the plan to kill the Dragon Prince and his mother." Soren glanced back at his mother and immediately wished he hadn't. The look of relief had now been replaced by horror and disbelief.

The knock at the door had only interrupted things for a moment as Callum was quick to answer it. He himself hadn't really fully processed Soren's theory from last night and had hoped that Claudia could still be persuaded away from her father; a possibility that seemed to be waning, sadly. Ergo, he was almost eager to remove himself from the conversation. He wasn't terribly surprised to find Gren at the door.

"Morning, Callum." He greeted. "I noticed the insignia of Del Bar on the carriage outside the house. Delegates?"

"Sort of." Callum replied. "It's Soren's mom and her family. I think they only came to make sure Soren was okay, I don't think they have any official business here."

"A-alright," Gren said, suddenly looking…unbalanced, if that was even the right word for it. Nervous, maybe? Just very surprised? Whatever the case, Callum had never seen his aunt's interpreter and second-in-command like this before. "A-anyway, if you don't mind, where's your aunt? She said to be up bright an early today to start a patrol around the edge of the village, in case, uh…Viren comes back."

At this, Callum thought. Neither she nor Rayla usually slept this late, and he did remember Amaya saying something about needing to be up early. He supposed Rayla had had a rough night and needed a bit more space, but for his aunt to be so late to what was apparently meant to be an early start was almost alarming.

"Come on in. I'll see what's keeping her." Callum said, allowing the commander inside and ushering him into the sitting room with their guests while he ascended the stairs in search of Amaya, not liking how things up there were entirely too quiet.

"Clover?" Gren asked, raising his eyebrows, leading to surprised looks from Ezran and Soren for a moment before each came to a quick conclusion; Soren's mother had been Viren's wife for some years before all this had started, back when he was the king's High Mage. Of course, she would have been familiar with the royal family of Katolis and therefor, his aunt and her interpreter.

"Commander Gren," she greeted, smiling sweetly. "It's so good to see you."

"You too." Gren returned. He tried to smile, but it wavered as his eyes fell on her and her husband's clasped hands, the young boy between them, and the maybe one-year-old sitting on her father's lap. He took a moment to look at the husband; he seemed far more upstanding then Viren had ever been. Sometimes, fate was just plain cruel.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Clover apologized. "I…I brought everyone here and haven't introduced anyone. This is my husband, Gideon." Gideon raised his free hand in greeting with a brief 'hello'. "This is our son Faolan, and our daughter Gwyneth. Faolan, this is your big brother, Soren." Soren gave the little boy a friendly smile and was met with the uncomfortable squirm of a shy child in the presence of a stranger. Clover smiled at him when he tried to hide behind her arm. She turned back to her elder son. "How have you been?"

"It's actually been pretty good." Soren said. "I live here with General Amaya, Ezran and Ca –" the boy in question came storming down the stairs and ducked into the kitchen, making enough noise to momentarily distract the conversation. "Callum."

Though Gideon hadn't met the princes and certainly the children hadn't, Clover looked at Ezran for the first time. "King Ezran? Oh, look at you, the last time I saw you, you must have been three or four. You look so much like your father."

"Thanks," Ezran said, glancing away bashfully for a moment. "But it's just Ezran now." If he was going to go on about that, the rest of the speech was cut off when Callum reemerged, looking terrified. Soren saw the letter clenched in his hand.

* * *

Dark magic carried the smell of death. A faint stench that could usually only be picked up by dragons. Such a high concentration of it, though, and it became possible for elves to pick it up, and perhaps even humans if they knew what to look for. That was how Rayla managed to find the cave.

The cave was perhaps a mile or two into some woods; too near for Amaya's liking, and she made a mental note to have this place investigated when they got home. At the moment, Amaya was keeping a close watch over the elf, who despite her determination did look a bit green from the smell. Entering the cave, the foul smell of the dead hit the general's nose and Rayla gagged on the smell.

The cave wasn't very big and the morning sun coming through its mouth lit the place up enough for their purposes. Rayla's eyes zeroed in on the small pouch that sat propped up against a wall. She cautiously inched closer, her and Amaya's eyes darting around, waiting for someone to come out of the shadows, for the attackers who were, in all likelihood, waiting for something.

A chill ran through Rayla as something flashed in the corner of her eye. She desperately wanted to keep her attention off of the horrible thing, but her head moved of its own accord. It was the half-decomposed body of an elf; Sunfire, it looked like. Amaya's stomach turned at the sight and quickly turned to look at Rayla. Before the Battle of the Storm Spire, one of the things Callum had told her about this young elf to dispel her distrust was how soft said elf truly was; she was meant to end Ezran's life in the name of a mission, but she was unable, not just unwilling. In the coming two years, Amaya would see this for herself; the girl was an excellent fighter but didn't even like hurting people and seemed afraid to take a life. Now, Rayla was frozen, save for her shaking. Her eyes were wide as she took in this grizzly sight. Amaya had decades of military experience, and this was definitely one of the more gruesome scenes she'd seen. Rayla, on the same front, was an absolute greenhorn She'd never killed, this would be far rougher on her.

When Amaya tried to put a supportive hand on her shoulder, she wasn't expecting the sudden embrace given to her. The general slowly wrapped her arms around the girl and held her tight. Her shoulders were shaking in a way that made it clear she was crying, or at least sobbing. They slowly sank to the ground as Rayla collapsed, Amaya making a careful effort to steady her. It was Amaya's turn to be on the short end of the language barrier as she felt Rayla talking for a moment, but couldn't see her lips from here, leaving her unable to understand what was being asked of her. Looking back at the corps, she recognized several instances of Viren's handy work. There was no way this poor guy had a peaceful end. The two were so wrapped up in this trauma that neither of them noticed the two figures appear from outside, one with a large staff in hand, and close in on them.

* * *

"Collection?" Gren asked. He and Callum had chosen to have a private conversation in the kitchen, away from their guests.

"Of Moonshadow elves, somehow." Callum told him. Gren stared. The memory came back like a wave. The screaming, the terrified elf in the coin, something about pride always giving way to fear. And Viren.

"I've seen it!" Gren nearly shouted, standing up and startling Callum. Their eyes flit to the sitting room, thinking first and foremost of the children in the other room; they more than the others didn't need to hear about such things. Gren turned back to Callum, speaking softer, now. "One of the elves who assassinated King Harrow survived and was taken prisoner. Viren performed some spell on him, I didn't see what happened, but he came out and showed me this gold coin, with the elf inside."

"What?" Callum asked, his eyes also widening.

"He was still conscious, looking around and scared to death." Gren reported. "You don't think Rayla…"

The change in Callum was immediate enough to make Gren regret the unfinished question. The younger boy bolted from the kitchen and out the door, gaining the attention of the others. Gren took a moment to assure them that everything was fine and just enjoy their visit before he ran after him. Faolan, curiosity peeked, hopped off of the couch and followed the man, closely followed by Soren. They stood in the doorway and watched.

Gren was talking to a tall, intimidating-looking man he called Corvus, saying something about saddling up a couple of horses. Faolan noticed a few people out and about already and how they had stopped what they were doing to look at the boy. The next few seconds were something that Faolan would remember for the rest of his life.

The guy held his arms out in front of him, made sure to take a moment to breathe and spoke three strange words. Each of these words caused something on his arms to light up and Faolan's mouth dropped open as a huge pair of brown wings appeared in place of his arms. The now winged boy left a ripple of dust around him as a massive flap lifted him up high off the ground and he flew away. Faolan was so amazed, he nearly missed the two older men riding after him on horseback, shouting at him to wait and that he didn't know where they were going.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Clover asked. Soren had needed to physically pick Faolan up and carry him back into the room.

"Gren and Corvus both have twenty years more experience than I do." Soren explained. "And Callum has his magic."

"Callum does magic?" Gideon asked, and it was clear that they thought it was dark magic, as they were probably used to. Soren and Ezran looked at each other and grinned slyly.

* * *

Amaya glared hard enough for the both of them, which might have been needed because Rayla was still in shock. Viren and Claudia had ambushed them and paralyzed them with some kind of dark spell. It was the same one, Rayla could feel, that Claudia had used on her back at the Moon Nexus. Now, they were tied up, thin twine digging into their wrests, likely to leave cuts in Rayla's case.

Rayla's eyes stared ahead blankly, not responding to Claudia's glare. Amaya held a cold stare to Viren, which was returned in full. Behind them, that elf, Aaravos was barely paying the four attention. He was waiting for something. Or someone. There was little chance that Callum would really heed her words with Rayla on the line, but hopefully he at least had the sense to gather reinforcements.

Amaya looked at the small sack openly. Viren smiled and took it, having gotten the message: What's in the bag? Viren dangled it in front of Rayla's face, and the motion finally seemed to wake her up, though she was still a far cry from the wild spitfire that Amaya knew. Slowly, Viren opened the small sack. The captives watched in rapt attention, Rayla more so. Viren pinched the bottom of the sack, taking his sweet time all the way, and flipped it over, dumping the contents on the ground. Five or six small pebbles clattered on the cave floor from where they had fallen. The elf's heart sank. Viren looked to Amaya, who's expression seemed to ask what kind of game he was playing.

"You're getting rusty, General Amaya." He spoke in a menacing tone, despite her inability to hear it. "Falling for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Do you honestly think I would leave such trophies just laying around?"

"Ah, and here's the man of the hour." Aaravos said, seeing Callum close in on the cave, followed by a pair of humans on horseback. Callum landed in front of him moments before Gren and Corvus dismounted their horses.

Callum didn't take his eyes off of Aaravos as the soldiers entered the cave, their furious eyes trained on Viren and Claudia. They approached them, weapons at the ready, before they were suddenly thrown back. All but Aaravos, Viren and Claudia appeared shocked, while the three of them just smiled.

"Just a small protective spell." Viren told them. His smile was a slimy one. "Can't have you attacking us when we're only trying for diplomacy."

"Diplomacy?" Callum echoed, eyeing Aaravos.

"Yes, that's why we're here." Aaravos said. "To talk. So long as you hear me out for, say, the next ten minutes or so, no harm will come to your friends."

"Why should I trust you?" Callum asked.

"You shouldn't." Aaravos told him, just as he had to Viren long ago. "It's not like you have another choice, of course. You defy me, and remember they are at my mercy."

Callum didn't like this at all, but if there was a chance that cooperating could save Rayla and his aunt, he would have to do it. "Fine."

Aaravos grinned and cast a look back at Viren and Claudia; they could do as they pleased, but no lethal force. For now. He then turned back to Callum and gestured for him to follow, which the human did after reminding Gren and Corvus of the same.

Gren and Corvus stood outside the barrier, weapons in hand, though they knew they were helpless to do anything other than watch the dark mages keenly. Viren smirked at them, feeling almost smug before a hard lurch jerked him awake. Somehow, the elf had managed to get to her feet and tackle him despite being bound the way she was. She was sending Viren a poisonous look before Claudia grabbed her, smacked her roughly in the face and shoved her back to the wall near Amaya. The general would have been concerned if she wasn't so relieved; at least Rayla seemed to be back to her old, bold-to-a-fault self. She was practically growling at Viren, uncaring of the sadistic smile that appeared on his face.

"You know, Claudia," Viren said, gaining his daughter's attention. "I think this is a lovely time for you to finally see what's in this coin pouch."

Claudia's eyes widened with interest and all eyes were on Viren as he pulled out the same coin sack and jerked it up and down so that the contents jingled. Just as before, Viren was painstakingly slow in opening the sack, his eyes now never leaving Rayla. He was taunting her. This time, he dumped the contents, four gold coins, into his hand. First, he showed them to Claudia, who appeared mystified, her eyes lighting up. After, he showed them to Rayla, who could again feel her gag reflex betraying her.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Sorry if this is a bit later than usual, I've been a little under the weather. Just a minor strain of the flu, nothing to worry about. And yeah, Gren has been in love with Clover for decades, but clearly, it's never happening. Our brave boy's trying to be a good sport about it, though. Next time; lots o'stuff! Review.


	14. Returned

**Chapter Fourteen: Returned**

"Sky _and_ moon magic?" Faolan asked eagerly. The shy little boy seemed to have taken a backseat to this excited child, much to his parents' bemusement. It had been quite a while since either had seen their son this worked up.

"Sky magic was his first…Uh, whatever it is." Soren explained, Ezran quickly supplying him with the word 'arcanum'. "Yeah, that, and he mastered moon magic about four months ago. I think next up on the chopping block is sun magic. He's been after the Sunfire queen to find him a willing mage in her kingdom, but I think he's been annoying her lately."

"The important thing is he's determined. Back when I was king, I used to remind myself that Callum was in Xadia, learning magic." Ezran said. "If it wasn't for that, I probably would have cracked under the pressure after a few months."

"Oh yes," Gideon said. "We heard you've disbanded your monarchy."

"Too much pressure." Ez said. "Callum inspired me, but I would have snapped eventually. What happened was sort of…the straw that broke the horses back. Opeli was – is – a lot better at this then I ever was. My kingship was what I was born into, but it's not like Callum with his magic; it's not what I'm meant to do."

* * *

Callum could have probably used his brother's encouragements right now, as he followed Aaravos. He was keenly aware that he had mastered only two of the six primal sources, and the elf before him was a master of all, never mind how he had untold decades - perhaps even centuries - worth of experience while Callum hadn't even been a mage for three years. The spot where Aaravos led him wasn't too far from the cave, thank goodness, just among a small grove of young oaks. The bright orange of the leaves was lovely; shame he was in no position to enjoy.

"A human connecting to a primal source." Aaravos started. "Tell me, Callum, how exactly did you manage it?"

"I honestly don't know." Callum told him. "It was after my first, and hopefully only, attempt at dark magic."

The elf raised an intrigued eyebrow. "Dark magic? What must those circumstances have been?" Callum looked away, feeling the shame even in this elf's presence. He knew Aaravos wasn't trustworthy, his answers had to be closely guarded.

"It was the only way." He said. "I had to protect them." These words had been chosen carefully. Rayla and the dragon, the ones who had been in danger, Rayla the one he had initially gone after, Rayla who meant the world to him after all this time. And Rayla who was at the mercy of this very elf. It had been an easy decision to try and hide this relationship from Aaravos.

"A selfless motive." Aaravos grinned. "A true rarity in learning dark magic. Mage after mage might use dark magic, or at least claim so, for others; feeding the hungry, healing the ill. Underneath the vail, however, is the allure of power and glory."

"I don't care about power, as long as my loved ones are safe." Callum told him. Aaravos shook his head, the grin still on his face.

"You have no idea how common that sentiment is to those who choose our path. Nearly all of them began with the goal of protecting someone. The weak, their friends, family."

"Your son?" Callum had no idea where that came from, but the topic had been teasing his interest since he'd learned about it. If Aaravos was caught off guard, he didn't show it.

"I suppose so." He said. "Foolish as Aarush was, I vied for his protection."

* * *

"Mom? Dad?" Rayla gasped quietly, beholding the faces of her mother, her father and Runaan. Questions exploded in her head. How had this happened? Where were they? Were they in pain? Runaan's flower had sunk, hadn't it? The one thing she knew was that the three faces in the coins appeared startled to see her; they were definitely conscious and aware of what was happening.

These two small words were enough to wipe the grin from Claudia's face, giving way to a look of horrified realization. There had been fear brewing in her subconscious ever since Aaravos had first spoken of this elf's parents. A discomfort, something she would rather deny was even a thing; two of those elves were…her parents? And she was their child? But…that was nonsense, her father would never do something like that. He was a good man and he loved her. Surely, he would never separate a child from their parents this way, not on purpose. Her initial solace, that he imprisoned those elves well before he knew they had a child, was quickly shot down with a nasty realization; he didn't seem to regret anything. In fact, he smiled as he took the coins and set them against a farther wall one by one, giving each of the prisoners a nice view of what was happening.

"What are you doing?" Corvus demanded, he and Gren still ready for a fight outside of the barrier.

"Just a little reminder of the pecking order." Viren assured. All eyes save Claudia's – who was still lost in her thoughts - widened as he grabbed Rayla and dragged her to where she could clearly be seen by the coins. They watched as, for the second time, Rayla was struck by Viren's staff, this time below her ribs. The faces in the coins contorted with rage, more completely then any of them had seen before on either elf or human. This time, Rayla didn't scream. She just glared up at Viren with the same hatred that his last victim had.

Somehow, Rayla rolled onto her back and leapt to her feet, stumbling a little thanks to her binds. Her lunging at Viren was enough to wake Claudia from her internal conflict and to steel her resolve. Suddenly, it no longer mattered to her that the elf had endured something so heartbreaking at the hands of her own father, she intercepted and tackled her to the ground. They collided into a nearby wall, Rayla hitting her head. Her skull was pulsing with pain, impairing her ability to focus. She couldn't work up the energy to be worried about the knife. No one had seen where the knife came from, but Claudia apparently had one.

When Viren produced an empty coin, which finally produced a flicker of fear in Rayla, Amaya struggled to stand, a look of fury and determination in her eyes. Being neither an elf nor as young as her companion, this process was a bit longer and more clumsy. Viren rolled his eyes, turning to the general when she had at last gotten to her feet. "Not today, Amaya. We still need the elf, but once we don't, who's to –"

Viren never got to finish this sentence as a flash of white light shown from a coin, forcing everyone's eyes closed. Before the light could even settle, it pulsed back up, now twice as strong, and Viren was on the ground with the wind was knocked out of him.

* * *

"Aarush?" Callum inquired.

"My son." Aaravos said, and Callum noted the lack of…well, anything in his face or voice. No wistfulness, no affection, nothing. It didn't seem entirely right to him. "You humans are a fascinating lot, holding on with no magic for eons. Even the worms in the dirt have magic. Aarush was half-human, his mother had been especially enchanting. But such short lives your kind live. When his mother passed, I joined the Dragonguard to escape the pain. Tell me, boy; are you aware of the power that comes with being an archmage? There is one thing that only an archmage is capable of, above all other forms of magic."

Callum had to remind himself to keep his guard up, and he chided himself for feeling excitement as though he were with Ibis or Lujanne. On the one hand, this was bound to be incredible. On the other, this elf wasn't to be trusted, even by his own admission. He couldn't let himself be enthralled by pretty words.

"The power to reverse death." Time seemed to crawl to a halt. Callum stared. What? His shock must have registered on his face because Aaravos's eyes narrowed in a way that told Callum that he was in danger, somehow on a more primitive level. Every one of his senses was telling him to run. "Half-elves, rare as they were, were distrusted by both the humans and full elves. Quite hypocritical of them, I'd say. Without his mother's protection, the humans shunned Aarush. When I left the Dragonguard to become an archmage, my goal was to grant humans magic, to even out the playing field, lessen the divide between our people. Of course, humans had no magic of their own, so I devised an…alternative method."

"Dark magic?" Callum's voice was low and disapproving. Aaravos smirked at him.

"Clever boy." He praised. "Of course, you change everything, don't you? A true human mage."

"I've heard there were human mages before me." Callum protested. "Who could connect to primal sources."

"Were _rumored_ to connect to primal sources." Aaravos corrected. "Before dark magic, human mages were so uncommon that they were thought to be the descendants of half-elves, with a bit of magic still running in their veins. This by itself wouldn't make them human, wouldn't it, but something else. A new kind of being, not elf nor human, a hybrid creature." Before Callum could truly contemplate this, a flash of light got his attention; one in the direction of the cave.

* * *

Viren was more shocked then truly fearful; standing over him was the elf woman who he had overtaken back at the spire years ago. "H-How – " Before he could even complete the thought that he could just freeze them again if he needed to, the sound of something breaking got his attention. When he had fallen, his staff had slid only a few feet away, but a few feet were all that was needed. The staff was now in the hands of the woman's husband, who had brought it down on a stone, shattering the gem. Now Viren's eyes widened in true horror just as Callum came barreling in, running past the barrier like it was nothing.

Once Gren and Corvus saw this, they bolted forward. Callum must have either not noticed the knife in Claudia's hand or was confidant in his ability to overpower her because he went right for her, getting her away from Rayla, who had since gone unconscious. Amaya could feel her face going red with effort until, at last, the twine binding her hands was broken and she quickly picked Rayla up and tried to run to get her out of the crossfire. She was intercepted by the third elf, who Callum recognized as Runaan. The sight of the elf's now useless arm made him queasy. Runaan was looking furiously at Amaya and aunt and nephew looked at each other. How could they have forgotten; these elves had no idea the war was over. They must have thought these humans meant to harm Rayla.

Everyone was aware when time seemed to stop. Or was it just that everyone was frozen in place? Aaravos stood behind Runaan and calmly walked past him to the center of the fray. All eyes, including the elves, watched with suspicion as this mysterious figure surveyed the scene. The Moonshadow elf with the binding was staring down the human general and Callum, with the youngest elf in the woman's arms. Past that, the unbound male elf was slowly being overtaken by the two human guards. Lastly, Claudia was backed against a wall, clutching her father's staff at knifepoint; the elf woman had turned her own knife back on her. Viren, in the center of everything, was clutching his chest; he was beginning to wither once more.

Aaravos sighed in disappointment. This was not how this encounter was supposed to go. And that precious stone, it had taken quite a while, even by Startouch elf standards, to create such a stone. He believed it was time to go, and so he repeated his minimo spell, making quick work of the three elves along the way. When the light lifted, the elves were unconscious, and Aaravos, Claudia, Viren and his staff were gone.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when they finally emerged. The two male elves were loaded onto the horses Gren and Corvus had arrived with. The female was to be carried by Amaya on her back, and Rayla was now in Callum's arms. Amaya set her charge down for a moment to sign to Corvus. Gren translated.

"Corvus, go on ahead. Tell a Skywing elf everything that's happened here. Have them relay this to the Dragon Queen, she'll want to know about this. And alert the medics, too, they all seem injured."

"Before the medics, get the Dragon Prince down here for this one." Callum suddenly added, looking at Runaan. His blackened arm was hidden from view, but they had all seen it. Callum was the only one among them who knew what a blood bind was and what failure meant to it. "I've seen that binding before. If it doesn't come off soon, he'll lose that arm. The Dragon Prince is the only one who can free him of it."

The elders all looked surprised. As confident as Callum was now, it was unlike him to be so commanding, even Amaya admitted he had never seemed to be a natural leader. Still, Corvus regained his composure and ran on ahead. Gren took the reins of both horses in hand and the small band started for home at a slower, safer pace.

* * *

At the same time, in the Silvergrove, Ethari had been having a relaxing day. A few hours of uninterrupted work and he was able to complete his final weapon for the day. He stood up and gave himself a comfortable stretch. Looking out of a window, he saw it was a lovely autumn day outside and he had been working hard. Perhaps Ethari had earned himself a little break. Maybe he'd take his lunch out to the meadow, in which he and Runaan used to watch Rayla play with the adoraburrs at dusk when she was little. Oh, for those wonderful times back.

Ethari was on his way out, his lunch of various fruits in hand, just reaching for the door when it burst open on him, sending him to the floor. Standing above him was another elf, the same one who had once asked him why he continued to stand up for Rayla after all she'd done.

"Koko, what on Earth?" Ethari asked, trying to calm himself down from the start he had been given.

"Ethari, it –" Koko gasped, and it was only then that the smith realized how frazzled she looked. She was breathing heavily, and her eyes were stretched wide. Koko was one of the more level-headed elves in the village; whatever had her this riled up must have been big.

"What is it?" he asked, getting to his feet. "Have we been found again?"

"It's the Moon Pool." Koko said and grabbed Ethari's hand, pulling him out the door.

As they ran, Ethari wondered what could be wrong. The pond seemed to have healed itself from the taint it had received from that staff, so what else could be wrong? His heart sank as he saw the whole village gathered around the pool, whispering that this had never happened before and what did it mean. Thankfully, Ethari didn't have to shove his way to the Moon Pool, his fellow elves seemed to part for him as soon as he appeared. This was confusing to him, but said confusion lifted when he finally made it and saw what everyone was so entranced by. Ethari's heart swelled and his wide eyes filled with tears.

Runaan's flower, floating on the surface again, the crystal beaming with light.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I realize this is a bit disappointing and maybe a little rushed in people's eyes, they didn't follow the typical formula of finding the coins, angsting about it and going to the ends of the earth for a cure, but trust me, the next chapter will semi-explain how the elves were able to bust out of the coins on their own. Until then, how about some theories on how they might have done it? Review.


	15. Love Is Magic

**Chapter Fifteen: Love Is Magic**

"She's your friend?" Faolan asked. He, his family and the two strangers were now in a hospital, his newly discovered brother and him looking at a bed; the doctors refused such a large crowd at once and demanded they go in shifts. Laying in the bed was, to the child's amazement, a Moonshadow elf. She wasn't a dark, scary monster like the big kids at home sometimes still said to scare the younger ones, she just looked like a girl. A girl with white hair, horns and stripes, but still a girl. Still, he knew elves weren't friends. "But she's an elf."

"Yeah, that was my first thought, too." Soren said, reminiscing about his first meeting with Rayla. He quietly decided that that story wouldn't be the ideal one to tell his little brother. He remembered one of the three new elves, who he had apprehended and turned over to his father shortly after the man had killed King Harrow. Soren had thought that elf had been slain and cut up to use for parts, as his father and sister loved to do, or else had simply died of his injuries in prison. He had been surprised to see him, and the other two he didn't recognize at all, but Callum knew who they were.

It almost didn't surprise Soren to hear that Viren had imprisoned a pair of elves and hadn't cared when they were revealed to have a child. A daughter not much younger than his own, no less. Soren just didn't think he would stoop so low as to use it to manipulate Rayla. Aside from that sharp tongue of hers, Rayla was perhaps one of the sweetest, funniest, gentlest girls he knew; heck, if not for Callum, Soren might have tried pursuing her, if he wasn't so sure that even then he'd either be hit in the head with the hilt of a butterfly sword or laughed at. And from what he heard, Viren seemed almost happy that he had taken her parents from her.

A curtain opened slowly and a nurse held some papers in her hand. "Well?" Soren pressed, "How are they?"

"The tests are complete." she said. "Your friend here is very lucky. She didn't sustain too much damage to the head and doesn't have a concussion. At the most, she's going to wake up with a very painful headache in the next hour. As for the others, two of them are exhausted and have mild cases of frost bite, but the one with the broken horn is dehydrated, malnourished and injured. The blood-flow is returning to his arm and we've rubbed a poultice on it to help it along. He'll probably be the one we keep the longest, about a week at the very most, but no permanent damage all around."

"Good." Soren said, remembering all too easily the dread he felt years ago, being told he'd never walk again. Since then, he had been wary of hospitals, but it was nice to get some good news. "Just wish we knew how they escaped."

* * *

A few feet away, Ezran was silent as he watched Runaan. Rayla had told him a couple of years ago that this one had been the leader of the mission to kill King Harrow. In all likelihood, Ezran was looking at his father's killer. He had expected to feel anger or hatred toward the elf, what he hadn't been expecting was the pity. For some reason, Ezran found himself wondering if Runaan would be alright. He looked horribly thin, sported a broken horn and his arm, though it was quickly regaining color, still looked dark.

He jumped when Runaan stirred and kept still as he opened his eyes. Ezran's heart pounded in fear and he stood frozen for a few moments before seeing that the eyes watching him were glazed and unfocused, looking passed the boy. He relaxed when Runaan's eyes dropped closed and he slipped back into unconsciousness.

A small moan got his attention. The weak voice of a woman. Ezran turned around and peeked around one of the curtains, seeing who he presumed to be Rayla's mother. She was under thicker blankets than Runaan, Ezran then remembered something about frostbite. He imagined her husband was also under such a blanket. Her eyes slowly opened, and like Runaan, they stared through him, unseeing. "Rayla." She whispered, almost as though she thought her daughter was still in trouble. "Lain. Rayla." These last two things were so quiet that Ezran had to strain to hear her before she also returned to sleep.

* * *

Callum was already eager to get back to the medics the moment he entered the chamber where Queen Zubeia lay. Jinku had told him that she wished to speak with him for a moment. Zym climbed down from his shoulders and waved around the now severed binding that dangled from his mouth, flicking it from one side to the other.

"Callum, is it true?" she asked. "Have my former guards returned?"

"Yes, they have." Callum answered. "So has Runaan, the leader of the mission to kill King Harrow. He was thought to be dead, but apparently not." He looked down to Zym, who had snapped the binding in half, one half still in his mouth and the other in his paws. He continued to play obliviously.

"They had been imprisoned by dark magic all this time?" she asked. "And only broke free when Rayla was in danger?"

"Yes." Callum said. "What I don't understand is…why now? Rayla's parents were captured the same day as Zym's egg, and Runaan just four months later. So why now, after so long?"

The Dragon Queen considered this for a moment. She turned to her son, seeing him playing, and smiled. "Of course, I'm just guessing, but love is a powerful thing, in all of its forms."

"Greater than magic?" Callum asked.

"Well, I…" she paused. "Yes. In its way, I'd say it's the greatest force in existence. They are receiving medical care down in the village, is this correct?" Callum nodded. "When they awaken, I would love to speak with them again. I suspect you are eager to return to Rayla." Callum didn't answer, imagining that telling her the truth would sound very rude. She laughed lowly. "Calm yourself, young one, I understand quite well. She is injured, and you wish to watch over her."

"Y-yes, Queen Zubeia." Callum stuttered.

"It is only natural. Now go to her. And we shall await their visit eagerly." The queen dismissed and Zym chirped his goodbye to Callum as the boy left, waving the tattered binding in the air as if it were his idea of a hand waving goodbye.

* * *

The cave no longer being an option, they had found themselves in some open plane with a single large tree in the center. Aaravos sat and thought, easily tuning out Viren's ravings about his staff, the shards of which he was now attempting to bind together. He was going on about how his power would be lessened now, how the staff itself had been passed down from mage to mage since before the divide of the land.

Though the thing certainly was a loss, the true power was in the Scepter of Darkness, which they had managed to both hide and save. The new blue was settling nicely into the growing array of colors. Finding the ever-changing Ocean Nexus had been a real trick. They had begun searching soon after gaining the earth primal and had only found it in the last month. Only two more to go, though Aaravos did fear that one of the remaining two would be every bit as difficult to obtain as the ocean primal had been.

At least Claudia was being quiet, seeming to be lost in her own thoughts. She kept looking at her father in a way that made Aaravos uneasy. If something happened back there that would shake her allegiance, there would be trouble. Back to more urgent matters, though, his conversation with Callum had been interrupted, there was still more to say. He wondered if perhaps he could reach the boy on the unconscious plane.

* * *

The first two things Rayla registered was the pain in her head, a dull throbbing, and the far more welcome feeling of a hand on her cheek, a gentle thumb stroking below her eye. She gave a soft groan as she opened her eyes. She smiled as her vision quickly cleared, allowing her to focus on a pair of beautiful and deeply loved bright green eyes.

"Callum?" she asked groggily. "Where am I? Wha –" The memories began bombarding her head faster than her still sleepy mind could keep up with. Viren. The coins. Her parents. Runaan. Claudia. Then there was darkness. "Callum, did we do it? Did we stop Viren? Are my pa – Ugh!" Rayla had bolted up and began asking these questions quickly, frantically. The last question was cut off abruptly by the pain in her head which had gone from dull to sharp as soon as she lifted it off of the pillow.

"Easy, easy." Callum soothed, gently pushing her to lay back down. With her head back on the pillow, the pain dulled again. "They got away, but so did we. Runaan and your parents are nearby, being treated. They're sleeping now. The nurse said they just need rest. Runaan might need to stay a little longer, but he'll be okay, too. Zym got his binding off as soon as we got back."

"How long have we been here?" she asked, her mind clearing up. She brought a hand to her still sore head to rub below one of her horns.

"Twenty or thirty minutes, at most." he said. Her eyes darted around, worry on her face. Callum then remembered that his aunt, Gren and Corvus had also been there and defended her. "They went back to the cave to retrieve that body and give it a proper burial." Remembering the body, Rayla's face darkened

"How could people do that to each other?" her voice was soft and scared. Even among the assassins she'd grown up with, it was a disgusting breech of their code. Killing was a matter of business to her people, no more or less. No unnecessary deaths if it can be helped, and always strike to kill on the first blow so that it might be quick and clean. Moonshadow elves were killers, not torturers. Seeing that mangled, desecrated corps had made her thankful she hadn't eaten that morning. In fact, maybe she could convince Amaya to let her skip lunch as well. Admittedly, it was a small comfort to know that the life lost was at least receiving some courtesy.

Callum leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I don't know." he said softly, looking deeply into her eyes. "But I swear –"

"Hey, hey, hey!" a nurse came up and dragged Callum away by the shoulder. "No funny business with the patients!" Callum and Rayla responded to this by giving each other playfully sad, longing looks as he was dragged away, complete with reaching their arms out towards each other, as if they were star-crossed lovers being kept apart by forces far greater than some overly strict policy or belligerent hospital staff. The couple's façade broke at the same time, and they shared a laugh just before the curtain was pulled, separating them.

Callum walked back to the waiting room, where Soren sat. Soren looked up at him, and Callum could tell he still felt guilty over this. It's how he always seemed to get in situations involving Viren or Claudia these days.

"Where's your family?" Callum asked.

"They only had this morning here." Soren explained. "Gideon is one of their king's chief advisers, they're needed back in Del Bar. And anyway, they only came to make sure Claudia and I were alive. Mom made me promise to write at least once a month." He smirked up at Callum. "I think you made a real impression on my brother. As soon as he saw your mage wings, he went all misty-eyed." His smirk disappeared, replaced with concern. "How's Rayla?"

"She's awake." Callum said. "Her head hurts, though, and she's still shaken up about that body. I'm only out here because the doctors don't believe in true love." Soren snorted in amusement at Callum's playful display of mock-annoyance.

"So, the one with the messed-up arm." Soren started.

"Runaan." Callum told him.

"Right, him." Soren said, again becoming melancholy. "I-I was the one who captured him and turned him in to Viren. I thought he just died in prison or something, I swear I didn't know about any of this."

"I'm sure Rayla knows you didn't mean any harm." Callum said. "I'm really more worried about how Runaan will react to us. He hates humans, and there's no way his time with Viren would have been any help to that. And from what I hear, he and Rayla didn't part on the best terms, either."

"He's the one who raised her, isn't he?" Soren asked.

"Yeah, him and –" Callum stopped. He'd forgotten about Ethari, and after the day he'd been through, he didn't think it fair that the poor guy be put through something like this any longer. He needed to know. Callum was already on his way out the door when he told a now confused Soren he'd be back in a few minutes.

* * *

Having watched both Rayla's mother and Runaan, Ezran figured he might as well check in on her father to complete the sequence. His face twitched and, like his wife and friend before him, his eyes opened, unfocused and not seeing him. Ezran was expecting him to fall back asleep as the others had, but it didn't happen. Instead, his eyes shut tightly, and his arms moved to hoist himself up with a long groan, freeing himself from the thick blanket. He brought his hands to his face to rub his eyes and took another look. His odd, orange eyes began to clear and focus. With a small shake of his head, he looked at Ezran again. Sensing the man was now able to see him, he gave him a weary smile and raised a hand in greeting.

"Wha…" the man asked, his voice groggy. "Where am…" He stopped short, suddenly remembering. He got out of bed, stumbling to his knees.

"This is Novus." Ezran told him, sounding quite proud. The elf regarded him oddly, wondering what in the world a young and apparently non-threatening human was doing here…wherever here was. Ezran realized that this hospital was mostly humans, with only the other three elves in care who he probably couldn't see. He quickly tried to explain, "Don't worry, we're in Xadia. We built a village here a –"

The elf's eyes widened in what Ezran thought was astonishment at the story. This was proven false, as his eyes narrowed at the boy in anger. Ezran shrank, now feeling threatened. "Where are they?" the elf demanded.

"Who?" Ezren asked. At the moment, he was panicking, and would be embarrassed later; of course, his first thought would probably be of his wife and child.

"Tiadrin, Rayla and Runaan." The elf growled. Ezran pointed to a curtain which the elf roughly pulled back, revealing his still sleeping wife. The ruckus was now gaining the attention of the staff, with doctors telling the man he needed to be resting and to take it easy. Rayla's father ignored them all, reaching a hand out to touch his wife's face. She awoke at his touch, her eyes slowly coming to focus on him. She smiled and leaned into his hand. The cautions of the doctors and nurses all fell on deaf ears as she sat up; many of them were now used to the quicker recovery speeds of sick or injured elves compared to humans, but nothing like this had been seen so far; they hadn't even been here for an hour and were already getting up, seeming perfectly fine. For the moment, the two just stared into each other's eyes and engaged in a few small, light kisses, blocking out the world around them. It was the same little love bubble that Ezran had seen plenty of times with Callum and Rayla.

"Rayla." Ezren spoke, this achieving the goal of breaking their love bubble. He saw them look at him just as he turned around and opened the curtain to reveal their sleeping daughter. Her brows were knit in a way that suggested bad dreams. Her face relaxed when a four-fingered hand reached forward and buried itself in her hair, giving her small, slow strokes that she hadn't felt since she was a small child. Ezran hadn't noticed Rayla's parents' approach, but here they were her father sending him a still suspicious look and her mother too focused on her to care. Her eyes reflected a warmth that Ezran himself had never known but had seen it too often to be unfamiliar with it, a mother's love. Rayla's eyes opened.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The phrase 'Love is Magic' shows up twice in Callum's Spellbook. I think it's sweet. Speaking of sweet things, it also has a recipe for jelly tarts, which really are delicious. Yummy little things. I would also like to give a big shout-out to Pyrogaming and his/her fic 'Anger and Retribution', an alternate look at chapter 11! Go check it out! I am super flattered and so happy my fic is inspiring others! Review.


	16. Hearts And Souls

**Chapter Sixteen: Hearts And Souls**

Rayla's eyes widened. She bolted up from the bed and slung her arms around each of her parents' necks, finding her embrace instantly returned as they held her close. It had been so long, more than a decade. For once, she didn't care when her tears began to fall. It…it had been too long since she'd been in their arms.

Soren had arrived beside Ezran, a nurse having told him that two, now three, of the elves were awake and seemed to be okay. They were now watching the tender scene with smiles. Feeling lonely, Ezren turned to Soren. "Where's Callum?"

"Don't know." Soren shrugged, "He just said he'd –" he was cut off by the sound of an open door, followed by Callum's voice.

"I'm back." He announced, coming in. Behind him was a tall, muscular Moonshadow elf whose kind eyes were at odds with his imposing figure. He looked antsy as he passed them, disappearing behind the curtain leading to the last elf, Runaan.

"You guys wanna get out of here?" Callum asked, watching the reunion. His heart fluttered at Rayla's smile. "This seems like one of those private things, ya know?" After a moment, Soren and Ezren considered; it did feel intrusive, somehow, what they were doing, so they just gave him a couple of 'sures' and honestly were quite eager to just get home. Rayla would surely be bringing her parents back when they were finished here, Callum made a mental note that the Dragon Queen still wished to see them, and finally, based on Rayla's stories about him, none of them wanted to be around when Runaan awoke.

Ethari had already been on his way to Novus; he had been one of the elves to assist in the completion of the village, of course he knew the way. Callum had surprised him by flying in on a dragon and picking him up. Along the way, he had explained everything about the coins, the dark mage Viren and The Dragon Queen's theory about how the three captives had broken free of the spell.

Judging from Callum's accounts, Ethari had expected Runaan to be hurt, but not to such an extent. The bruises, the visible bones that spoke of starvation, the broken horn. Ethari was torn; for one, Runaan, his beautiful, beloved husband, was alive and well. For the other, what torment had he gone through at the hands of the humans? In Ethari's eyes, the humans weren't to be trusted; a rule to which Callum alone seemed to be the exception, and only because of Rayla. Knowing that it was a human who had done this only served as a reminder of this, and he felt anger towards them for it, reinforcing his own beliefs. Some humans had good hearts despite everything, obviously, but most were greedy and selfish.

Ethari reached out and touched Runaan's face, his hand tingling at the familiar contact that he had been deprived of for so, so, so long. Oh, he yearned to kiss those lips again, but thought better of it as he remembered Callum's annoyed account of being dragged out of the hospital by the staff for what they had called 'funny-business', which he was quick, if not frantic, to make clear that all he and Rayla had done was kiss and snuggle a bit. From this, Ethari was starting to see what his foster daughter saw in Callum; the kid was just plain charming.

Runaan moaned. His beautiful blue eyes opened slowly, and he smiled warmly as his husband stroked his face. "Ethari." He spoke. His voice was a welcome sound after years of not hearing it. The smith's heart sang.

"Yes, my love." Ethari spoke, tears spilling over. "I'm here." These two words were the last spoken between them before they kissed. The feeling of this contact was intoxicating, even more so then before, and the world seemed to melt away; all there was were the two Moonshadow elves, in love, separated by a cruel twist of fate, and finally reunited. Hearing another familiar voice from a few feet away, a torrent of unwelcome thoughts invaded Runaan's mind. He would have loved to forget everything about the circumstances that led him here in favor of simply staying in the moment with Ethari, but the intrusive memories forced their way to his consciousness. Rayla. The egg. The mission. The binding. The sheer nerve of that disobedient child.

In the interest of not sullying this reunion with unhappy memories, Runaan had to pull away. Though Ethari didn't know the specifics of Runaan's last encounter with Rayla, the stoic look on his face told the smith plainly that it was an emotional affair for the both of them. They looked over to where the crying was coming from and saw Rayla crying in happiness, her arms in what appeared to be strange positions if Runaan and Ethari had had no clue as to what was happening. Apparently, ghosting did not transcend dark magic because Runaan had seen Lain and Tiadrin clear as day in those coins moments before his imprisonment, where Ethari just had Callum's word to go by. They both knew Lain and Tiadrin were back as well.

Runaan stood, forcing his shaky legs to steady even in this state. His dignity was truly admirable as the thin, bruised elf still manage to hold himself high. He stoically looked at Rayla. "You defied me."

The words were soft, but firm, and got Rayla's attention. Unseen by Runaan or Ethari, Lain and Tiadrin pulled away from their daughter, releasing her and watching keenly, not knowing what was going on. Lain, for one, had to fight the urge to walk right up to his old buddy and squeeze the life out of him, although this clearly wasn't the appropriate time. Rayla stood up on shaker legs then her old mentor, but succeeded in steadying herself. She flattened her left hand and covered the left side of her face completely with it before lowering her head in a shallow bow. It was one of two bows that assassins gave their leaders, their equivalent to the bow of the Sunfire elves which resembled the setting sun. The right side was a sign of respect and obedience to the leader, and the left was a plea for forgiveness. Being head-strong as she was, Rayla had seldom in her life given this bow. Runaan did not seem moved.

"Helped the humans." Runaan carried on shortly before stopping again. Rayla didn't protest or try to defend herself, she knew very well this was warranted. Between her plea to cease the attack, the egg, those two humans and the fact that his bind had not come off until he had awoken, it certainly didn't take a genius to piece everything together regardless how however long Runaan had spent in his prison. Scowling lightly, the older elf took the hand Rayla was bowing with, pulled her to him and hugged her. She had defied, lied and consorted with humans, but more then anything, she had had him worried sick. Rayla stood in confusion for a couple of seconds before she returned the embrace.

* * *

When the boys returned to the house, they found Amaya home, Gren faithfully at her side. She rose to her feet upon seeing the boys return, finally. She began signing.

"How's Rayla?" Gren translated.

"She'll be fine. She's awake now and probably spending time with her parents. Can't blame her." Callum told her. She continued.

"I suppose not. Poor kid deserves it after the day she's had." Gren again translated.

"Is the body buried?" Ezran asked. Amaya nodded and began signing again.

"We picked a spot a little way away from the cave." Gren said. "So that if Viren or the others come back looking for the remains, they won't find the grave. It's headed by an unmarked stone." The boys seemed satisfied with this.

"She's probably going to be a while, and I'm pretty sure she's bringing them back here." Callum said, signing to his aunt as he spoke. "I just want to warn you, I don't know how her parents will be, but I know that her mentor hates humans, so be prepared for that." Amaya nodded.

"Her dad was a bit intense with me, but I think he was just scared." Ezran put in, recalling how quickly and seamlessly that had changed the moment he had found his wife.

* * *

Claudia remembered this feeling. The fear that she had felt as a small child on the occasions in which she needed her father's attention. Would she be yelled at or punished for interrupting his stewing? Thankfully, she supposed, she had begun to show his talent for magic by age ten, at which point they grew closer and closer until finally, she no longer feared him in those moments because she knew there was no way she'd get in trouble. She was ashamed even now to admit it, but Claudia had been relieved when she had clearly become her father's favorite, leaving none-magical, dimwitted, plain Soren to be a rod for his temper or aggravation. So long as she towed the line flawlessly, her father would keep her in his good graces and not give her the same disappointed looks and eye rolls he gave her former brother.

She hated Soren now, she realized. He was willing to kill their father; it was an illusion, but he didn't know that, and he'd still done it. But now, with him gone, she wasn't so sure she was safe. Still, she plucked up her courage.

"Dad?" she asked. A grunt was the only sign that he had heard her. His jaw was clinched as he continued to fiddle with his staff, which wasn't any closer to being fixed after the last couple of hours. There was no turning back now. "That elf. Do you regret what you did to her parents?"

Viren stopped and took a breath. He didn't look at her. "No. They were in the way of the egg. If they had their way, the Dragon Prince would have hatched and been raised to kill us all."

This didn't sound odd to Claudia. She could believe that it was intentional on the elves part to raise the baby as a human-killing machine, but what if…"What if it was me?" she asked.

"It's not the same, Claudia." Viren said. "Elves and dragons are…different from us. They don't feel as deeply as we do. Callum and Ezran have been fooled. The Dragon Prince and the Moonshadow elf might mimic the appearance of empathy and emotions to insure their survival among humans, but they're not capable of real love. Their actions are based on instinct, not desire. Her parents fought not because they loved her, but because their offspring was being threatened. It was a biological behavior, like with animals." As she reflected on her father's lecture, she felt better. Her father wasn't a bad person for tearing the family apart if they were essentially unable to feel love. Still, that meant that she had to work even harder to get Callum away from that elf, if he was so blindly enamored with her while she was still capable of killing him.

* * *

The next time the front door opened, it was Rayla, ushering in four adult elves. Not to stay, of course, they didn't have the room, but just to see where she lived and the people she lived with. Lain and Tiadrin had taken to the idea that they had returned to a changed world after almost three years rather well, though Rayla suspected that this came second in their minds when they realized that they had been ghosted by Runaan and Ethari. Indeed, Ethari could no longer see or hear Rayla, though he knew she was there through Runaan. At least the spell removal had worked, something she was immensely thankful for. Her parents were already on their feet, but Runaan now needed Ethari's assistance and had his now fully recovered arm slung around his shoulder.

"So, this is my new home." She said, wrapping up the story of how she and the princes of a noe destroyed kingdom had saved the Dragon Prince. She had managed to omit the more romantic aspect of her relationship with Callum, somehow, and Ethari had also gotten the message to keep that piece of information private; it was something for the two of them to reveal in their own time.

The door opened up directly to the sitting room, where Callum and Ezran were. Ezran was stretched out on the couch, scratching Bait's head; the old thing was getting more reclusive these days and rarely left an old dog bed in the corner of Ezran's room unless he was moved. Callum was going over the book of moon spells, a gift from Lujanne. The boys looked keenly at the group of elves, Callum straightening himself in a last-minute attempt at a good impression.

Runaan looked at them disapprovingly, Lain and Tiadrin looking unsure of the humans, and Ethari simply looked around the place, having met Callum a couple of times already. When Soren came into the room, a half-eaten sandwich in one hand, he and Runaan locked eyes. He swallowed, whether food or nervousness, no one was sure, but after a moment, the elf narrowed his eyes. He remembered Soren.

The would-be attack – Rayla looked poised to swoop in and place herself in between them – was interrupted by a rapid drumming of beats coming from upstairs. The upstairs hallway was visible by a balcony overlooking the sitting room, and Amaya and Gren were there. She had drummed her fingernails on the railing at the top of the stairway for both attention and to distract from the coming fiasco. She and Gren came down that stairs and she began signing.

"Rayla," Gren said. "Are you all okay?"

"We're okay." Rayla replied before turning back to their visitors. "Runaan, that's Soren, he's a friend. These are Callum, Ez –"

"Friend?" Runaan was outraged. Thank the stars above no one noticed the fleeting look between Callum and Rayla. There seemed to be an understanding between them; to keep 'them' under wraps for now. If a platonic friendship yielded this kind of response, Runaan would probably murder Callum in his sleep.

"A very close friend who I'm sure she'd be heartbroken to lose." Soren put in, sounding far more nervous than he had been in their last meeting. He was ignored as Runaan went on.

"Rayla, you know this is unnatural. This place is unnatural. Just because they haven't attacked in a while doesn't mean they want peace." He said. All the while, Lain and Tiadrin were silent, their eyes sweeping over the humans one by one, as if they were gauging whether these humans were really a threat.

Feeling uncomfortable, Callum cleared his throat. Seeing the eyes of an aggressive elf and Rayla's parents on him for the first time made him nervous, but he forced himself to keep steady as he looked at Lain and Tiadrin. "The Dragon Queen knows you two are back. She wanted to talk to you." The pair seemed to transform, becoming formal and regal as they quickly thanked the human, apologized for their quick leave, and showed themselves out of the door.

Taking the distraction as an opening, Amaya began signing to the remaining elves. She had already become acquainted with Ethari during the construction of the village, but his husband was a new face. Gren translated: "So, Runaan, I presume? Rayla's told us a lot about you." The elf looked insulted at her and demanded she speak to him directly. When Amaya rolled her eyes, Runaan reached a hand out to strike her. Her wards watched in alarm as, like lightening, Amaya grabbed his wrist. Blue and dark brown eyes bore into each other with anger. Runaan was thinking that Rayla was insane to trust humans and she'd get herself killed like this. Amaya, seeing the blind anger that she and others had overcome, silently quipped to herself about the definition of irony and that knowing this guy would be fun.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky as Lain and Tiadrin got to the top of the Storm Spire. They had elected to take the long way up so they could have time to talk about this strange new world, their daughter and everything she had told them and the depressing fact that everyone at home thought them cowards who had abandoned their posts. That last topic had proved a sore spot for Lain in particular, unleashing a rant; they were the only ones on the old guard who _weren't_ cowards.

They walked through the familiar halls. After the village, seeing elves and humans interacting civilly and becoming acquainted with their nearly grown child, it was surreal to suddenly be in an environment that seemed to have been stuck in time, everything was the same as it had been in their days on the guard. The only thing that spoke of a passage of time were the new Dragonguard, who all regarded them with respect and allowed them to go their way. Lain and Tiadrin were still in their old Dragonguard garbs; clearly, they knew who the couple were.

Queen Zubeia was as magnificent as ever, and they bowed lowly before her. If dragons could shed tears due to emotion, the queen would have wept with joy to see the two elves, the most faithful and loyal of her husband's former guard, alive and well again.

"So, it's true." Queen Zubeia said happily. "Lain and Tiadrin of the Moonshadow elves. I will never be able to repay you for what you've done." The couple rose and before either could ask what she meant, the answer came bounding up to them happily. Their hearts swelled with joy and pride and before the baby dragon could leap into Lain's arms – their scents were like Rayla's – they realized it; they had succeeded in their duty. They had saved the Dragon Prince. Of course, they knew from Rayla's story, but seeing the dragonling in person…he looked so much like his father. Lain was the first to rise to his feet.

"Queen Zubeia, we are ready to resume our lives here on the guard." He said, taking on the air of a proud soldier. Tiadrin followed this action, despite the twang of discomfort in her heart at the prospect. It was strange, but she wasn't terribly eager to continue in their former duties. She didn't know why, the Dragonguard was the highest honor an elf could hope for outside of becoming royalty themselves, and it had been an offer they couldn't turn down the first time. This conflict must have been reflected in her eyes because the queen clearly saw it.

"As wonderful as that sounds, it won't be necessary." She said. "You two have gone beyond your call of duty and ensured my son's survival. You raised the brave young woman who helped to rescue my egg and return him to me." Despite the encouraging nature of this speech, this last part had Tiadrin feeling uncomfortable again. "And without all of that, the war would still be raging on. No, my friends, you have done so much already. You have more than earned your retirement from the guard. My current guard is quite capable of their jobs. You two just go one back down and enjoy being free of those coins."

"You knew about the coins, Your Greatness?" Tiadrin asked.

"Jinku and Callum filled me in before you awoke in the village."

"Callum?" Lain asked, recognizing the name from Rayla's story. He figured it was the brown-haired one back at the house, he seemed to be around her age. His eyes hardened when he recalled that he was a mage. Their last experience with a human mage was…

"Peace, Lain." The queen soothed. "Callum is one of the most pure-hearted humans I've met. He is not like the dark mage. In fact, he's made quite the name for himself. They call him the White Mage."

After some more gentle prodding from the queen to go spend time with their daughter and enjoy their freedom in this new world, the pair gave their best wishes and left, again taking the long way down. Lain watched his wife with concern, finally noticing that something was wrong in her eyes, whatever it was.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I feel horrible that I've forgotten poor Bait all this time! Also, I'd like to apologize in case anyone is wondering why my updates haven't sped up like everyone else's has. I have ADD, so I can't spend my whole day at the computer writing. Can't promise the schedule will even be predictable, but I'll be shilling out the chapters as fast as I can. Also-also, sorry about two bottle-neck chapters in a row. Review.


	17. Truth Of Fear

**Chapter Seventeen: Truth Of Fear**

Callum knew he was dreaming. He could see nothing but darkness around him, though he himself wasn't washed in darkness, observed when he looked himself over. He was silent as he looked around, seeing a black void in every direction. After a second or third visual sweep, Callum's eyes were finally granted the sight of a solid object that was glowing pale blue and white.

Callum approached and picked up the Key of Aaravos. It had just been glowing blue and white as it now did for him, but Callum watched in wonder as every rune lit up in a dazzling display. pale blue for the sky, white for the moon, yellow for the sun, deeper blue for the ocean, green for the earth and pinkish-purple for the stars. Lately, seeing the key had been giving him a feeling of guilt. It had been years and he had stalled in revealing its presence to the Dragon Queen. Would she be furious with him that he kept this from her; if it had Aaravos' name on it, it was bound to be a huge deal. Having her favor was something Callum enjoyed, as well. Would such secrecy damage or even destroy that favor? Or would she insist on destroying the key itself? There were several reasons Callum didn't want that.

"Remarkable thing, isn't it?" Somehow, Callum wasn't startled by the sudden voice. He turned around to see Aaravos.

"Do you know what this is?" Callum asked, despite knowing better. Any information was better than none at all, he supposed. "They call it the Key of Aaravos."

"Oh, how flattering." The elf smiled. "I'm pleased your people think so highly of me. Getting back to your question, though, I do know where it came from." Callum watched him steadily, waiting for him to go on, while also continuing to keep in mind that he could very well be lying in everything he was about to say. "The archmages of the ancient times, even before my time, created many magical items. Most historical scholars will know that every primal stone in the world today was forged in a single day. Forty-two simple glass balls from a glassblower, each endowed with the power of a primal source. Seven stones of each primal, scattered throughout the world. This key, on the other hand, was something of an experiment by a later archmage."

"Experiment?" Callum asked.

"Yes." Aaravos said. "It began its journey as a simple toy. I endowed the cube with small traces of magic, enough to react to the primal sources. A simple glow-toy for a child, that's how it started. When Aarush was grown, I began using the cube to keep track of my progress as an archmage. Not unlike yourself, I know."

Callum stared before asking in a slow whisper, "How do you know about that?"

"Not important." Aaravos dismissed. "But you have had it in your possession for a while, haven't you? Tell me, boy, how did you come upon your powers?"

"I started out with a sky primal stone." Callum told him. It was back to the guarded answers, and he couldn't fathom any way how a long-gone primal stone would impact anything. "Only for a week, though."

Aaravos hummed. "It's rare to have two magical items in a humans possession for so long. Perhaps there is a chance that such a constant concentration of magic had somwhow rubbed off on you. It was another proposal to the idea of humans gaining magic, if one was too close-minded to approve of elven-human relationships. Of course, it's all still only simple speculation."

The two looked one another in the eyes. Callum's gaze was hard and full of distrust. Aaravos grinned as he finally saw it. "Those eyes of yours. Identical to his eyes. Yes, in fact, I can see the exact same fire in your eyes had his had shown after he turned against me. Such a shame, really. Aarush's eyes, he had gotten from his mother, they had been her most captivating feature." When Aaravos told all of this to Callum, the boy began to feel foggy, not liking the idea at all. Aaravos felt the pull as well.

"You are waking. Take our little conversation into consideration." Aaravos said. "My mission is not to end lives, Callum, but sacrifices are needed to achieve balance. We will talk again soon…" Aaravos turned, facing away from Callum. When he turned his face back so that it was half visible to Callum, the boy beheld a wide grin stretching across his face and a narrowed, cunning eye looking at him. Panic spiked in Callum's pounding heart as Aaravos finished his farewell with the worst possible word. "Son."

Callum was reeling before he realized where he was. He was in his room, heart still pounding, and forehead soaked with sweat. It was still dark. He forced himself to sit up in his bed, maybe to ground him to the waking world. He looked to the bedside table, opened its drawer and pulled out the Key of Araavos. Callum rolled the thing around in his hands, lazily observing it. He had at least gotten used to the idea that he might – _might_ – have had elven ancestors going back centuries, but…this? Did this mean he…was he descended from Aarush? And that meant…

* * *

Around ten minutes later, Amaya entered the kitchen to get breakfast started, and was surprised to find Callum already up. In front of him was a half-empty glass of berry juice. She went over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and she signed.

'You are up early. Bad dreams?'

'You could say that.' He replied. Amaya watched Callum for a moment as he sighed. He supposed his aunt would probably at least know something. His next sequence of signs was something unexpected to her. 'Aunt A-M-A-Y-A, what was my dad like? Not King H-A-R-R-O-W, my real dad.'

This was an interesting question. Callum had never shown much interest in his birth father before. Amaya wondered where this suddenly came from and why it seemed to be bothering him so much, but she would save her own questions for later. 'Wait here.' she told him, and left the kitchen. Callum waited, hearing her go up the stairs, into and out of her room then back down the stairs before she reemerged. 'I saved this the night K-A-T-O-L-I-S was lost. It was all I had left of him, and now' Amaya stopped, a crushing pain coming to her eyes as again, she was faced with the reality. She blinked rapidly to tame the tears she felt coming on. Taking a deep swallow, she continued; 'it is all I have left of her, too.'

It was a small portrait of four people. He could just barley recognize his aunt, Commander Gren and his mother, all much younger than he had remembered them. His mother, though, didn't look so regal as he remembered, with her lack of a crown, slightly tousled hair and slightly protruding stomach. The forth figure was a stranger, though his identity wasn't difficult to place by how he had his arms around Sarai, with his hands protectively cradling the small bump. More then any of that though, Callum felt that if not for the stranger's sandy-blond hair, he might as well be looking into a mirror.

'Your father's name was A-M-I-N. He was a kind, gentle man, and a brave soldier. That was how he and your mother met, in training when we were about your age, maybe a little younger. The three of us would train together day and night, and I think A-M-I-N fell in love with S-A-R-A-I just before we were released as fully trained soldiers.' Callum was happy when, finally, his aunt smiled, even if it was a smile tinged with sadness and longing. 'I used to tease her all the time about her little fairytale romance.

'They stayed together for years. If your mother wasn't with me, she was with him. I think the only one who didn't like it was King - at the time, Prince - H-A-R-R-O-W. Poor guy loved seeing each of us on our own, but I think seeing S-A-R-A-I with A-M-I-N hurt him deeply. When S-A-R-A-I found out she was pregnant, A-M-I-N was so excited. He was so sure he was going to have a son. He never told me why, but he was adamant you be named C-A-L-L-U-M. The next day he proposed to your mom.' Amaya, who until now had had that soft, sad smile on her mouth, now lost it. Her eyes dropped before she started signing again. 'At the time, K-A-T-O-L-I-S was at war with E-V-E-N-E-R-E. Your father was assigned to a battalion that was due for battle. He left with his battalion, promising to come back to S-A-R-A-I and their baby. A few days before you were born, we…received the news. He was gone.'

Callum had to admit, absorbing a lengthy story like this was harder without actually hearing it. He would have to thank his aunt for going slow. Wiping a tear from her eye, Amaya smiled when she looked at Callum and continued to sign. 'You look so much like him, C-A-L-L-U-M. You have his eyes.'

Eyes. The warm feelings that this story gave him were quickly replaced with the returning apprehension brought on by his dream. His eyes were the same as Aarush's. He let out a big sigh and signed. He saw no benifit to keeping this a secret any longer, though he privately doubted Amaya was any sort of authority on such matters. 'Aunt A-M-A-Y-A, do you know anything about half-elves?'

* * *

It had been a week since their rescue, and Runaan couldn't fathom why they were still here. Of course, he knew what an inn was, there were a few back home. But sharing the building with humans and other kinds of elves. It made him feel dirty. Ethari seemed to be trying to mend bridges with Rayla, and if he were honest with himself, Runaan wanted Rayla to go back with them. Then they could put this whole mess behind them, and life would continue on as normal. But his pride wouldn't let him admit it; He had forgiving her for abandoning the mission and lying to and defying him, but this? When Runaan had offered to get her ghosting removed, Rayla had refused. She actually said she was happy here with the humans, who were now every bit family to her as Runaan and Ethari had been. If he could see or hear them, he would have let Tiadrin have it because he blamed her and Lain for this. They had to raise her to express herself, didn't they? And from that, she got it in her head that her personal feelings mattered above her pride as a Moonshadow elf. All of this said that Rayla didn't deserve to come home with them.

Tiadrin was in the room, too. Ignored, as she was beginning to get used to. She and Lain had shed their Dragonguard dress and now sported the same wear common to the Silvergrove, though they knew they'd never return. Unlike Runaan and Ethari, they were used to being around other kinds of elves, at least, from their time on the Dragongaurd. They could probably learn to tolerate the humans, eventually. Ergo, they had elected to stay in Novus with Rayla and spare everyone the trouble. Rayla had been ecstatic to hear it, especially since it seemed that Runaan and Ethari were going home in a few days, which would have left her as the only Moonshadow elf in the village again. Not an altogether terrible thing, but it did get a bit lonely at times.

Thinking of Rayla had Tiadrin feeling sad again, and for a moment she wondered why. Her daughter had grown into a beautiful – it hit her at that instant; Rayla was grown. They had left her when she was a child and literally before they knew it, she was approaching adulthood. Tiadrin and Lain had planned to take a trip back to the Silvergrove for their daughter's sixteenth's birthday as a surprise in lieu of the traditional letter. Obviously, that plan fell through, but it alone would have softened this blow.

When the door opened, she saw her husband enter, though Runaan didn't. Lain sent his old friend a sorrowful look as he stood up and exited the room. Lain had thought Runaan was his best friend, they were inseparable as boys, and he had been the first one Runaan had told about his feelings for Ethari. by now, there was no way he still thought they'd abandoned their posts. And anyway, everything had worked out in the end, hadn't it? Was a lifelong friendship really so fragile in the face of stubborn pride?

Lain saw his wife sitting on the bed and perched beside her. She leaned into him and he circled his arm around her shoulder. "Are you okay, love?"

"Lain, our little girl's not very little anymore." She told him. Lain nodded. "And…we weren't there for any of it."

"I know, it's not fair." He admitted and planted a kiss on her head. "But there's no changing the past."

"But there is changing the future." Tiadrin looked Lain in the eyes. His gaze was a silent question; what was she talking about? "Lain, let's have another baby."

* * *

Runaan had decided the outskirts of this village were a nice place. Another thing about that village was that it was too loud. His people valued silence in pubic and only spoke in softer voices outside, apart from small children who simply couldn't be helped and thus, no one really begrudged them for it. He sat with his back to a tree trunk, closed his eyes and savored the cool air and the quiet.

The sound of something hitting the grass brought him back after in minute or two of dozing. He looked to where the thud had come from and beheld three young Moonshadow elves, looking shocked to see him. Scattered around them were three weapons, discarded in the grass. They were older and looked a bit disheveled, but he recognized Sirus; Malin's boy, rather hotheaded if he remembered, used to follow Rayla around like a lost shadowpaw cub, no matter how much she clearly detested the attention. Kiara had always been a far more welcome face at their house, those girls had been best friends as small children. Lastly was Latis, a quieter boy, promising archer, but seemed to only talk to Rayla when Kiara was around her. They looked stunned to see him, though Runaan couldn't imagine what they were doing all the way out here.

"R-Runaan?" Sirus asked. "We…we thought you were dead."

"No." Runaan responded slowly. "Dark magic. Long story. What are you three doing out here?"

"We're here for Rayla." Came Kiara's reply.

"She's a disgrace to us all." Sirus interrupted. Oh yes, Runaan remembered, he was also very dramatic. Loved to tell stories. "First, she fought alongside the humans as if they were equals and then –" he shuttered. "She…she gave herself to one of them!"

"She did not!" Kiara protested. "As far as any of us have seen, they never did that."

"The human mage corrupted her." Latis told him.

Runaan stared. At first, he'd just written it off as another one of Sirus' exaggerations, but he had never known Kiara to lie. It…made a disgusting amount of sense, now that he though about it; she was already fond of humans for some reason. There were moments when he would walk into a room where the two of them were scrambling away from each other. The way their eyes would linger on each other half-a-second too long. How whenever one went off somewhere, the other would suddenly find a reason to disappear as well. Even their first day back, when Callum revealed his strange ability to perform magic, Rayla had seemed...perhaps a little too excited.

* * *

Lain and Tiadrin had come over with an announcement; that they'd be trying for another baby, one who they could raise and watch grow up. Rayla supposed she was excited to be an older sister, huge age gap not-withstanding. The only two members of the household who weren't present were Amaya and Ezran. Ezran had asked how they'd get the baby, to which Amaya had told the now twelve-year-old that it was high time for a private talk. They had disappeared into the kitchen a minute ago.

The happy mood was ruined by Runaan who barged in and charged up the stairs, finding Callum's room. Five days ago, Ezran had attempted to get their new arrivals to warm up by showing him Callum's sketchbook, though for clear reasons, Callum had asked they not by shown passed a certain point. Runaan knew of the book and what it looked like. A feeling of dread overtook Callum and Rayla who exchanged a worried look. Ezran and Amaya had also reappeared in the doorway thanks to the commotion.

After another grueling moment, in which Ethari showed up, Runaan came down with the book in hand, looking ready to kill someone. He slammed the book down after opening it to a more recent page, for all to see the image. It was Rayla, captured in careful, loving detail. He flipped the pages passed the previous cutoff, revealing her on more pages, the images making it clear this had been going on for years, and doing different things. In battle, watching fluttering moon moths, playing with Zym, scouting from a tree. Most tellingly, was the pictures of the two of them, of which there were plenty. Their fingers interlaced, snuggling, her laughing as he held her close and kissed her forehead.

"Friends, are you?" Runaan demanded, eyes flitting between the pair accusingly.

Most eyes went to Callum; Runaan in anger, Lian and Tiadrin in shock and Soren, Ethari and Ezren in fear. Rayla and Amaya's eyes were defensively fixed on Runaan.

"Runaan." Ethari said slowly, edging his way in front of his husband, in doing so offering the younger couple the kindness of blocking them from view. They were panicking, and they used the opportunity to rush up the stairs and out of sight. The party downstairs heard a door slam.

Lain and Tiadrin looked at each other, neither really reacting. That would happen when they had time to process everything. For now, all they saw it as was an oddity, something that was sorely frowned upon – borderline forbidden – in their culture. For now, the couple just chose to watch the fallout between their former friends; Runaan looked betrayed.

"Ethari, you can't possibly condone this." Runaan said.

"I don't." Ethari defended. "I would love to see Rayla with another elf, even if it wasn't a Moonshadow elf. But her heart is set on the boy, for some reason."

"How can you defend them?" Runaan asked, raising his voice. Ethari then shocked everyone but doing something that none of them, not even Runaan, had ever seen before. He shouted.

"Because when your flower sank, my world ended!" There was silence for a moment and Ethari calmed down. Runaan stared as his husband carried on, his voice now back to its gentle volume. "I thought you were gone, Runaan. My heart was gone. It was months before I could get used to sleeping alone, waking up to an empty house. Say what you will about Rayla but doesn't deserve that kind of heartbreak."

Runaan couldn't resist taking Ethari in his arms and kissed him above his ear as he held him. Still, his eyes flitted up to the upper floor, where Rayla and her…friend had fled. He would never accept such blasphemy, he had raised her better, but in the interest of keeping peace, he'd restrain himself.

For now.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Oh, the heartbreak, soul-sucking drama. I also forgot about Callum's sketchbook. Oh well, he's become a more proactive person, we'll say. Next chapter, Callum finally gets the answers to the key. Assuming Runaan lets him live of course. Review.


	18. The Secret Of The Key

**Chapter Eighteen: The Secret Of The Key**

Callum and Rayla held on to each other, more out of protectiveness and reassurance than fear; at least now that they knew what could be coming, they could do more then run if Runaan decided to pursue. It seemed that he hadn't, giving that the brief shouting match downstairs had stopped.

"Well, at least we can stop sneaking around." Callum's words were insincere and they both knew it.

"Aw, I thought we were having fun." Rayla teased and Callum smiled. "Going behind their backs and trying not to get caught." She pulled Callum into a deep but brief kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Kind of exciting." Callum gave her a sly smile and his hands found their way to her hips. Before the two could continue with their tryst, a knock interrupted them. Ordinarily, Rayla would keep silent; Callum alone was safe to answer, as being in his own room wasn't suspect, though Rayla's presence in his room was bound to be. Of course, everyone had seen them run up here together. "Hello?" Callum asked, trying not to sound too frustrated at the interrupted alone time.

"It's Ezran." Came the reply, muffled by the closed door. "It's safe. I think. He's not going to attack anyone is my point."

Callum and Rayla's reemergence was cautious and they followed Ezran back downstairs. Everyone was waiting for them. Amaya regarded them sympathetically for a moment before turning a keen eye to Runaan, just in case the elf tried to lunge at her nephew again. Runaan stood up and gave Rayla the same stoic look had had first given her upon waking up, and Rayla had the sneaky feeling that this wouldn't end in a hug. He did not acknowledge Callum outside of his eyes flashing in anger for an instant seeing how close he stood to her. It was sickening.

"I am offering you one chance." Runaan said, addressing her. "Leave the humans and come home with us, or continue with this…this delusion of yours, of happiness among them."

"I won't." She said. Runaan's eyes narrowed ever so slightly when Rayla took Callum's hand. This also gave Callum the courage he needed to draw her nearer to him. "The elves back home abandoned me without looking back and as far as I could see, only Ethari even cared. Callum is...he's the complete opposite of everything we've been taught. When we first met, he tried to take his brother's place when I told him what needed to happen to Ezran. He has made so many sacrifices to keep the Dragon Prince alive and never once have I heard a word of regret. And then he connected to the sky arcanum. Runaan, Callum is an amazing human. He's kind and loyal and noble and...I won't leave him."

Runaan did not seem moved. "Then there is nothing more to say."

Runaan turned on his heels and slammed the door behind him as he left. Looking through a window, Ezran saw he was waiting for something. Ethari approached the pair, or rather Callum, seeming to be more disappointed than anything else. "He'll come around eventually." His eyes had been closed for a moment, maybe to avoid the reality that he couldn't really see her. Now, he opened them to look at Callum. "For now," he placed a hand on the boys' shoulder. "you make sure to take good care of her. Runaan might not feel up to showing it, but he still loves her as much as I do."

"I will." Callum said, knowing very well that, half of the time, she's the one keeping him in check. Not that Runaan or Ethari needed to know specifics. Ethari nodded before turning around and leaving the house. There was something final about the moment the door closed behind him. The feeling that he wouldn't be back. Somehow, he felt like Rayla was in good hands.

He and Runaan each forced Rayla out of their minds as they embraced. Runaan's heartache was forgotten completely when Ethari looked at him with those sweet amber eyes and he said the four words Runaan had been waiting to hear all week. "Let's go home, Runaan." Runaan smiled at him and they made to the west. The village would be out of sight by nightfall.

Inside, Rayla fell onto the couch with a heavy breath, relieved to at least be done with that mess. She could feel her parents' eyes on her. Sensing the atmosphere, Amaya quickly herded the boys into the kitchen to grant the small family privacy.

* * *

Ordinarily, Amaya didn't mind her deafness, but it was times like this she was downright thankful for it; it kept her ears from picking up words that clearly weren't meant for her, and thus couldn't cause undue trouble with interference or curiosity. Soren certainly didn't seem to think so, as one could tell he was trying to listen to the conversation in the other room. Callum and Ezren were sitting at the table, also trying to avoid overhearing.

"So," Callum started, and Ez immediately knew this was meant as a distraction. "Good talk earlier?"

Ezren blushed. In all the commotion, he'd forgotten his and his aunts…uh, talk. "Yeah. It was…uh…"

"Yeah, mine wasn't much better." Callum confessed. "So, any questions? I know things were cut short before."

"Just one;" Ezran said, and he raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Sandwiches?"

"Well, if you think about it a little, it's not a bad metaphor." Callum defended, unable to keep the smile off of his face. A sharp shushing from Soren put an end to this conversation.

* * *

No one wanted to be the first to speak. Deciding that it was needed to get out of this torturous silence, though, Rayla forced herself to speak. "I love him."

Lain and Tiadrin looked at each other, neither looking happy about this, but Runaan just now… "We're not crazy about this." Tiadrin told her. "But…you are an adult and can make these decisions for yourself." With how uncomfortable she still was with her daughter having grown up under her nose, it was a wonder how steady her voice was.

Lain was silent. His suspicious glance was directed toward the kitchen. It seemed that he occupied a space in between his wife and old friend; he distrusted the humans but wasn't as angry and ready to fight as Runaan had been. He stood, followed by Tiadrin. "It's been a busy morning for all of us, and, I suspect you have things to do."

"Okay." Rayla said, a bit disheartened at their sudden desire to leave. She was relieved when their embraces were close and sincere as ever; this unexpected revelation did nothing to lessen their love for her. After they broke apart, Lain looked behind her; Callum had come out of the kitchen to watch this. Lain gave him a stern look, less seething then Runaan's had been. If Runaan's message to him was 'you are a filthy human', Lain's was 'you are unworthy of my daughter'.

"I don't care how you feel about me personally." The human told them. "But I'm nothing like Viren. I use my magic to defend and protect. And I would never hurt Rayla. I love your daughter more than my own life, and I'm prepared to do anything to make her happy and keep her safe. She-she's my inspiration."

Tiadrin's gaze softened, but Lain's face was still hard. In any case, he could tell they were considering his speech. They left without another word, though it was clear something had gotten through to them. Maybe. Callum walked over to Rayla and sat beside her when she lowered herself to the couch. She leaned into him and he played with her hair for a moment before the others finally joined them.

"That was intense." Rayla sighed. Callum laughed. "I think they just need to get used to the idea."

"I wanted to say more." he said, "How amazing and strong you are. How you changed my life in so many ways."

"I think it was pretty brave already." Rayla said and kissed him on the cheek before burying her nose in his shoulder in a deep nuzzle. It was the most relaxed she'd felt in the last twenty minutes.

* * *

Having come across the old cave the other day, Amer considered himself lucky, blissfully unaware of this cave's colorful history of events in the past few years. It seemed secluded and roomy to him, with only the dull stink of death that could have been from any animal. He'd even found the discoloration left by the rotting carcass. No doubt carried off by a scavenger of some kind, but as long as he was breathing, it wouldn't hurt him. About the only thing of interest was a pouch, and four ordinary coins scattered on the ground. Odd.

Amer wasn't sure how long it had been since his banishment. Surely more than a year, because autumn had arrived a few months after, and here the season was again. His sister had branded him a danger, if he was desperate enough to plant ideas into an angry dragon's head out of prejudice, and declared him banished, saying he should understand how it felt to lose his family and home forever. Further, should he ever show his face in Lux Aurea again, he will be treated as an invader and, needless to say, was no longer a prince. His face was also well known to the more prominent people of Novus, so he didn't think it was worth the risk.

"Well, well, well." A low, deep voice made him jump. He turned toward the cave's opening, where he saw a silhouette. The figure approached, and Amer recognized a Startouch elf, seeing a slight resemblance to Kaiya that bagged them as hailing from the same species. This elf, though, was younger, more impressive and much less warm. Amer rose. "Prince Amer of the Sunfire elves, I presume." He bowed lowly. "I am privileged to be in the presence of such nobility."

Amer was mystified. After at least a year as a vagabond, at last he was being treated with the respect due to him. But why? "I'm sorry, but Queen Janai has banished me. I am no longer a prince."

"Royal blood is royal blood, regardless of titles." The elf told him. "The other elves are close-minded, and the dragons are arrogant. One of the human kingdoms is hardly a loss, and on the subject, was the crime of a dragon. You never lifted a finger; it was all Sol Regem. Who are they to punish you for the actions of another?"

Amer stopped and thought. No, what happened wasn't his fault. It was Sol Regem. He didn't go up to the dragon and force him to set fire to the kingdom, it had been of the creature's own volition. With him dead, they had needed someone to pin the blame on. And – and they had always been against him. Queen Zubeia had overreacted, the other Dragonguard had always picked on him and all he was trying to do was preserve his sisters and that Moonshadow elves' dignity by trying to get those humans away from them.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Amer said, slowly. Overwhelmed by his starved ego suddenly being so thoroughly fed, the former prince missed the Startouch elves' grin. He looked at him. "Wait, who are you?"

"Just call me a family friend for now." The elf said. "Tell me, how did the Sunfire Prince end up in such an ignoble place?"

* * *

Callum hadn't meant to come this late in the day, but he didn't think he'd be able to sleep tonight unless he got his answers. He took deep breaths to calm himself. The motion had been such a comfort for years, as though the air itself was saying 'don't worry, you walk with the sky'. Then, he entered the chamber where the queen was.

"Callum.=?" She observed his troubled face. "What is it?"

Callum was quiet as he pulled the Key of Aaravos out of his bag. The sky rune glowed in response to the sky dragoness, who clearly recognized it. "The Key of Aaravos."

"So, you know what it is?" Callum asked, his heart sinking with negative possibilities.

"Yes." Zubeia told him and she looked to the mirror, which was still present in the room, stored away against a wall. "I suppose it would hardly be a risk now. Hold the star rune to the glass." Callum did so, turning the cube so that the star faced the glass and slowly approached it. He was surprised when it flew from his hand and touched the glass.

The mirror's glass went white. Callum curiously poked his finger into the white and was surprised when his finger went through, leaving ripples as though he had stuck his finger in a still pond. When he removed the key with his free hand, the white went away, leaving the library, and Callum could see the remainder of his finger passed the glass. When he tried to pull back, he panicked to find his finger had become stuck in the glass. "Calm yourself, Callum. Touch the sky rune to the glass." Callum rolled the cube in his hand and did as she said. The white returned and his finger came out, whole and unharmed, again as easily as water. He pulled the key from the mirror and both the white and the library were gone; it again resembled a standard mirror.

"It really is a key." Callum's voice was full of wonder.

"Had the dark mage not interfered, the key would have unleashed Aaravos." Queen Zubeia said.

'_Unlock something of great power in Xadia.'_ Callum remembered. "This cube has been in my family for generations."

"Well, at least that mystery has been solved." The Dragon Queen said. "Soon after Avizandum imprisoned him, the key disappeared. All of Xadia was searched. We knew the key ending up in the human kingdoms was a possibility, but as far as any of us were concerned, so long as the key and the mirror were kept separate, all was well."

"Do…Do I need to get rid of it?" Callum asked, dreading the answer. He didn't want to let it go. It was a useful tool for mastering arcanums, just plain fun to detect magic with, but above all else, a final gift from the only father he'd ever known.

"Not if you don't wish to." Her words were a great relief. "With Aaravos already loose, the danger from the cube has passed."

"Queen Zubeia, I'm sorry." Callum said. "I should have brought this to you a long time ago."

"It was no doubt a delicate subject, and the key is obviously of value to you." She returned. "I do not begrudge you this time, on the condition that should anything ever happen with Aaravos again, I receive word of it immediately."

"O-okay." Callum said, his mind finding something to tell her instantly. "Kaiya told me that Aaravos had a son named Aarush, who chose to go with the humans to the west when they were banished from Xadia. She also said that other humans might have been able to do magic, but they were thought to have elven blood that gave them their powers. A-Aaravos came to me in a dream last night. He said…he said that I had the same eyes as Aarush, and he called me his 'son'."

Queen Zubeia lowered her head so that her gaze was on level with Callum's. The blue eyes searched the green for maybe two straight minutes. "Callum, I will not lie and say it's impossible. It's very possible. But ask yourself; would it change anything? If it was proven true tomorrow, would you go to his side, forsaking your loved ones and the world to his ambitions?"

"No!" came the boy's passionate response. "Aaravos is working with Viren, he can't be anything but evil." Queen Zubeia nodded.

"I myself only met Aarush once." She reminisced. "He had returned to Xadia a few decades after the Judgment of the Half-Moon to help stop his father's plans, whatever those had been, we never did find out. If Aarush had left heirs of his own behind in the human kingdoms, he never mentioned it. He managed to assist in imprisoning his father at the cost of his life. Aaravos was right about one thing, though. You do have his eyes. Powerful, pure and full of drive."

"Anything else?" Callum asked, now eager to hear more about Aarush. "Or do you know anything else about Aaravos?"

"I have told you all I know." Zubeia said. "But I know one who might know more. My husband's predecessor, the former Dragon Queen Luna Tenebris. We can make the trip tomorrow, it's getting late." She finished, looking from a sleeping Zym to the rapidly setting sun outside.

"Okay." Callum said, suddenly feeling tired as though the observation of the hour had zapped his energy. He supposed he'd be walking down the spire; he didn't trust his wings when he was this tired. "I'll let the others know. Good night, Queen Zubeia." And he left. The queen hummed her response.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Don't worry, Lain and Tiadrin will come around to Callum eventually. As for Runaan, well…Anyway, someone's up to his old mindgames again. Also, I hope the key wasn't too anticlimactic, but it seems pretty plausible. Review.


	19. Luna Tenebris

**Nineteen: Luna Tenebris**

Callum and Rayla were glad that today was one of the warmer days; they would have been shivering from the rushing air as Zubeia and their mount, the same moon dragon who had granted his services to Callum the night before discovering the Mirror of Aaravos, flew to the east. The moon dragon's name was Umbra, and according to Zubeia, he considered it an honor to offer his services to the White Mage. Though the dragons considered themselves above the elves and certainly above the humans, Callum's strange ability and noble deeds had gained their attention and garnered true respect from many of them. Umbra was proud to be steed to such a remarkable human, but the place they were going, the one they had come to see, had his heart pounding in excitement.

While Callum occasionally flew to the far east of Xadia in small increments, he had never been this far before. Mountain ranges, wide, sprawling plains, wetlands and forests sped beneath them. Finally, Queen Zubeia landed, leading Umbra to do the same. They had landed at a tall mountain, before a deep, dark cave. There was the faint scent of salt-water in the air, though no ocean was in sight. Callum and Rayla got off of Umbra, who lowered his belly into a deep bow. Zym was standing beside Umbra; he had attempted to get onto Callum's shoulders, only to be set on the ground and told that he was getting pretty big for these rides. Queen Zubeia, in contrast to the moon dragon, stood tall.

"Luna Tenebris." She called. After a moment of silence and stillness, there was a great stirring within the cave; the ground giving a sharp tremor, small rocks falling around the entrance, and a long, lazy moan, like a yawn, from deep in the darkness. "It is Queen Zubeia. I apologize for waking you, but we are in need of your guidance." A shuffling from the cave let the visitors know that a large body was moving in the cavern, the sound of rocks hitting rocks, but slowly the former Dragon Queen emerged. Rayla immediately knelt and Callum lowered himself as well, though he couldn't help but continue to look at her in awe.

Luna Tenebris was a breathtaking creature. A large, mostly white dragon with the faint dapple of the lightest silver here and there, not unlike the full moon itself. He could see a dark blue, almost black, color for the webbing in her wings and the same for the sleek main that ran down the back of her neck. Her eyes shown the same luminous blue that those of her predecessor, Sol Regem, had once shown. And yet, despite all this, it was clear she was older than Zubeia.

"Queen Zubeia. And…" There was a pause as she took in the other members of their little band. The young moon dragon wasn't an odd sight, nor was the elf, but her eyes lingered on the more unexpected visitors; a human and a small dragonling. "Company."

"Luna Tenebris," Queen Zubeia addressed. "You are looking well rested. This past decade has been an eventful one. The world has…changed." Zym charged up to the older archdragon happily; she already seemed a lot nicer than Sol Regem. Luna Tenebris set her chin on the ground to be at the small thing's level, and found her nose playfully tackled for her troubles. She gave the little one a fond snort-laugh as she raised herself back up to speak to his mother. "Luna Tenebris, I would like you to meet my son, Azymondias."

"Congratulations, Queen Zubeia. I can already tell he will be as powerful as King Avizandum." The melancholy look the queen gave wasn't missed.

"I fear, my husband is gone." Queen Zubeia said, and proceeded to tell her elder a shortened version of the events that cost her her beloved and nearly her son.

"Deepest condolences, my queen." Luna Tenebris said in sincerity, thinking that this second, ill-timed yawn would surely give off an uncaring impression. "Truly." It was then that she looked at Callum. "A bit far from home, aren't we, human?" It was at this point Queen Zubeia began the somewhat more in-dept story of how the former Dragon King's murder set off a chain of amazing events leading to their current predicament.

* * *

Amer and the stranger had been traveling all night and at last came to a huge tree a few miles east of the Storm Spire. He was thankful when the mysterious elf finally stopped and set himself at the base of the tree. Had he paid any attention to the prisoner his eldest sister had apprehended hours before her death, he would have recognized the older human as her murderer. But he hadn't, he'd been attending something else when everything had suddenly erupted into chaos and it would be a few days before he saw either of his sisters again. Therefore, he couldn't recognize Viren.

Amer and the two humans regarded one another warily. "Prince Amer, Viren and Claudia." Aaravos' introduction did little to lessen the tension. "Our new friend is victim of the dragons' crimes. They pinned the blame on him when your kingdom was destroyed."

"They did!" Amer responded passionately. "It wasn't my fault your kingdom was destroyed, it was…It was those humans. That Callum and his aunt. They're the ones who did wrong and set off the dragon, they're the ones to blame!"

"Hold on," Claudia stood up, her expression one of anger as she protested Amer's words. "Callum would never do something like that!"

"Wouldn't he?" Amer challenged. "He nearly broke my nose the last time we met. That whole family is depraved and violent! Humans who get involved with elves are asking for trouble. The Moonshadow elf with your little 'prince', Janai and her general. Makes me wonder what poor fool the young one will grow up to ensnare and corrupt."

"Corrupt?" Claudia questioned. "If anyone's doing the corrupting it's your kind. That Moonshadow elf has brainwashed –"

"_My_ _kind_?" the Sunfire elf challenged, taking a threatening step towards her. This was the last piece of audible dialogue before the two descended into a tangled mess of accusations and insults.

A flash blinded the two for a moment. Claudia being used to the staff's presence by now, recovered quickly, as did Amer, who beheld the staff in horror. It…It couldn't be. "The Scepter of Radiance?" his voice was trembling. He'd heard what happened, as well as remembered…He looked at the Startouch elf. "A-Aaravos." The other elf smiled.

Amer turned on his heels and tried to run. He had to get back to the Storm Spire. He had to warn – his thoughts were cut off when he found himself on the ground; a vine had come out of nowhere and tripped him, and more foliage was slithering towards him. Amer ran, occasionally needing to break himself free of whatever had wrapped itself around him. This was all enough, though, so that the trio caught up to him without even needing to speed up their walking. Soon, they stood in front of him and he felt it foolish to struggle as each of his limbs was taken over by ivy vines that subdued him.

"The Sunfire elves." Amer gasped, beholding the spectrum of color omitting from the black orb. White, yellow, green, blue. "The Moonshadow elves, the Earthblood elves. What are you doing?"

"That is not your concern," Aaravos' voice became mocking. "_Prince_." Amer's former title rang in his ears as he braced himself for whatever was coming.

* * *

"Remarkable." Luna Tenebris said, feeling the energy from Fulminus dissipating in the air above her. Callum held himself very proudly as Zym yipped and frolicked beneath the charged air; the prince loved when Callum did Fulminus. She lowered herself to Callum and gave him a sniff. Callum couldn't help but be a little on edge, remembering the last time an archdragon had sniffed him all too well. Luna Tenebris did pick up the small, stale smell of death, but far greater was the scent of ozone, with a hint of night air sprinkled in. It was a typical scent of an emerging archmage, though most tended to save the sky arcanum for later in their training, is it was one of the more expansive arcanums. "The human mages. I thought they were just a legend."

"A Startouch Dragonguard told me about them." Callum said. "That no one is sure they even really existed."

"I've certainly never met one." The moon archdragon said. "Honestly, those old stories are a part of the reason I chose to spare the humans. It never occurred to me that something like this would ever truly happen, I was just charmed by those stories and didn't want to obliterate them. That certainly made me unpopular for a number of decades. That sliver of dark magic, though, worries me."

Callum, Rayla and Zubeia looked grave. "I-it was just the one time." He defended. "Before I connected to the sky arcanum. My friends were in trouble and I was useless, and –"

"Be calm, human. I know it's old and slight, it would just mean trouble down the line should it have continued." She turned to the younger dragoness. "Now, Aaravos?"

"Aaravos has returned." Queen Zubeia said. "He has stolen the Scepter of Radiance from the Sunfire elves and is using it to steal the magic from the others."

Luna Tenebris narrowed her eyes in consideration. Finally, she lowered herself once more and looked into Callum's eyes, searching. He was beginning to get used to this kind of size-up and allowed himself to be appraised. It was a few moments before she broke the eye contact. "I see a good heart, strong moral character and a drive to protect those you hold dear. I believe you are the one meant to uncover something."

"Uncover?" Queen Zubeia asked.

"You have mastered moon magic?" Callum nodded. "Go to the Moon Nexus tonight. There is something that I have hidden, to be found only by a pure heart. It may just be of great use. Return it to me, and I will explain how it will help. I can't tell you what it is, but you'll know it when you see it."

Umbra had taken off just after moonrise, and it had taken about an hour to get to the Moon Nexus. Lujanne was surprised to see them. There were five other Moonshadow elves who didn't engage the pair, but they watched them closely. Callum told Lujanne about his meeting with the former Dragon Queen and the mission he had on her behalf. Receiving the okay from the mage, Callum began searching as Rayla filled her and the other guards in on the happenings of the last month.

Callum searched the place, in doing so, he saw that the Moon Nexus seemed to have recovered better than the still dead land around the mountain, though he knew very well that it could have been an illusion. The search was a quiet affair that lasted for what felt like hours. Callum felt rather ridiculous looking for something when he wasn't even sure what it was, let alone where to start looking. Flower beds, Moon Hinge, lake. There was nothing outdoors.

After what seemed like hours, Callum opened up an old wardrobe in one of the living quarters. At last, something glowing caught his eye, shining from in between dusty, tightly packed articles of typical Moonshadow elf attire. Shoving the crammed clothing aside was no easy task, but his heart pounded in his chest as his eyes finally beheld the mysterious treasure. Callum took it and just looked at it for a moment, knowing that the moment he appeared with this, the elves would swamp him with questions.

The search had taken hours, it turned out, because the dawn was just starting to break when Umbra returned to his former queen with Callum and Rayla in tow, with the addition of Lujanne. Luna Tenebris regarded the mage with a court nod and looked on Callum with pride. In his hand was the treasure. The Scepter of Shadows. The top of the staff shaped itself into a crescent moon, in the center of which was a moon primal stone, looking like a tiny full moon right down to the soft white glow.

"Well done, Callum." said Luna Tenebris. "It will be of great use to you, I'm sure."

"Oh, Great Luna Tenebris." Lujanne knelt. "If I might be so bold, my people have searched for centuries to find the Scepter of Shadows. Why has it only appeared now?"

"As an extra precaution, I put a particular kind of concealment on the staff." Luna Tenebris said. "The only one who would be able to find it was one who was looking, but not for it in particular."

"Brilliant." The mage's eyes were wide with wonder.

"Lujanne of the Moonshadow elves, this is to stay a strict secret." The moon dragon said. "The scepter will remain in Callum's custody until the time comes that he must use it. After that, he is to return it to its people, but the recovery of the scepter cannot be revealed if what Queen Zubeia has told me, if the fate of the Scepter of Radiance, rings true."

"You have my word, Your Greatness." Lujanne said, only imagining the fuss the others back at the Nexus would make; they didn't particularly care for Callum or Rayla and now they probably felt cheated out of their own quest. "We will be silent." Luna Tenebris nodded.

"So, what now?" Callum asked.

"Well, I suppose I'll go for a flight to stretch my wings a bit." The elder archdragon said. "You all need to get back to your lives, and Callum. Hide the Scepter of Shadows in a place it won't be found and do not retrieve it until the time is right."

"Okay, but can't I get more of a hint than that?" he asked. "How am I supposed to use the scepter if I don't know what it's for?"

"You have been warned about the path of the archmage, correct?" Luna Tenebris asked. Callum nodded. "Keep those warnings in mind. You will understand when the time comes, I promise."

Without another word, Luna Tenebris stood up, gave herself a stretch, walked out of the cave and spread her wings. With a few mighty flaps that kicked dust up on the ground, she rose into the sky and was soon a shape in the clouds.

* * *

By noon, the group had returned to Novus and the Scepter of Shadows was safely tucked away in Callum's room, hidden this time by a more basic concealment spell.

Alone in his room, Callum went over it in his mind. He knew the Scepter of Radiance had been stolen and corrupted. Aaravos, in the company of Claudia and Viren, had been going around, gathering diffrent kinds of primal magic for something. He knew the staff now wielded the power of the sun, moon and earth, but the ocean, sky and stars were untouched as far as he knew. Whatever, Aaravos' plan was, he needed to learn his third arcanum. Next stop was Lux Aurea. Callum had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but now there was no choice; Viren and Claudia were still out there, if nothing else.

Something about having the Scepter of Shadows seemed to make it concrete; Aaravos was up to something and as long as he stayed here, he was putting everyone in danger. He had been talking about traveling around for his training for years, but those plans had been put on hold because of Sol Regem's rampage, and now there seemed to be some kind of invisible deadline. Now it was time to open those plans back up.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The idea with Luna Tenebris is that dragons live for such a long time, their idea of an afternoon nap could take decades. I also originally wanted her to give Callum a riddle, but the only one I found was obvious, especially at the Moon Nexus from a moon dragon, and I always feel insulted when characters, and presumably the audience, is assumed to not be able to work out a simple riddle. Review.


	20. A Shift In The Wind

**Chapter Twenty: A Shift In The Wind**

Callum and Rayla knew that they had nothing to fear, but they still backed up when Janai entered her heat-being mode, her now yellow and black eyes taking on a wild fury. Callum thought to himself that maybe taking his aunt's offer of accompanying the two here would have been a good idea after all; she would have been able to keep the Sunfire queen calm. But no, Callum had insisted on having a clean break from Novus. On the other hand, maybe mentioning Viren or Aaravos wasn't the best idea, either. At any rate, by some miracle Janai had managed to calm herself down.

She had barked at Kazi who, at her voice, had jumped and practically flew out of the doors. She had demanded they find a book on sun magic for Callum; she knew he had mastered moon magic with a book of spells. Honestly, Callum preferred to learn from a mentor than a book, but he supposed he was to make do with what was given to him. Janai took a deep breath to calm herself down and looked at them.

"I'm sorry, Callum." She said. "But now that I know it's…them –" she paused with a look of bitterness on her face, the word 'them' practically spat. Amaya had told Callum and Rayla all about Viren's murder of Janai's sister, the former Sunfire queen. This crime had not been forgotten, clearly. "then I really can't spare any mages."

"I understand." He said as he took the book gently when Kazi timidly reappeared and offered it to him.

"I hope it will be of use to you. Unfortunately, I have no idea where to start connecting to the sun arcanum." Janai seemed almost embarrassed about this last sentence.

"Yeah, I've noticed that trend." Callum told her. "I guess when you're born with something, you don't think about it that much and don't know how to explain it. But I'll manage."

"You mean _I'll_ manage." Rayla told him, her expression playful. "You'll probably just fumble around nearly burning yourself to death to learn the most basic spells, Mr. tries-to-cast-a-lightening-spell-without-knowing-the-trigger-word."

"You love my fumbles, and you know it." Callum shot back, just as playfully. A corner of Janai's lips raised itself in a sort of amused half-smile for a moment before it dropped.

"Callum, get out there and master sun magic as fast as you can." Janai ordered and her face darkened as she looked at each of them in turn. "And if you see Viren or that vile Aaravos, don't let them get you. Run away if you have to, but don't let them get you. May the sun light your path."

"Right." Callum nodded, sharing in Rayla's look of determination. "Thanks, Aunt Janai." With that, the couple ran from the throne room. If Janai caught the misplaced title, she didn't make a big show of it, she just looked after them, silently wishing them luck. Kazi and a few of her guards certainly had caught it and needed to suppress amused grins.

* * *

Since they couldn't afford to stay for too long in Lux Aurea either, Umbra was there to meet them outside the palace. He'd drop them off at a remote location; the plan was to travel around, avoiding towns if they could, to learn magic without risking the lives of anyone. Aaravos was interested in Callum's power, which meant they might come for him. If they did, there needed to be as few bystanders as possible.

Umbra dropped them off in a wide field, after which he had taken to the sky and flew away once more. Part of him was disappointed not to be allowed to stay with them, but the queen had said it would be for his own safety; if the dark mages found him, he'd be in danger. So, Callum and Rayla were left alone, Callum's sketchbook and a satchel strapped to his shoulder like old times. Neither minded not knowing where they were for once; if they themselves didn't know, they were probably safe for the time being.

* * *

It wasn't often that Ezran sulked, but that was what he was doing now. He couldn't believe Callum and Rayla had gone off without him. Granted, his current life as an ordinary kid – well, comparatively ordinary – was nowhere near as stressful as being a child king. It was a stable life that was so much easier to handle then deciding the fates of thousands or judging this, that, and the other thing, but still, it…got a little monotonous after a while. And Callum knew he had always longed to explore Xadia, and still he was made to stay home.

Ezran was brought out of his stewing by a wet, cold thing pressing against his cheek. A smile forced itself to his face as he pushed Ava away. Ellis was behind her, looking at him inquisitively. They were on the western outskirts of the village, bordering the base of the Storm Spire. It was a safe place that one could also go for privacy. "Trouble?"

"Callum and Rayla are off on another adventure without me, and Callum knows I've wanted to see Xadia for years." Ezran frowned, an action that caused him to look remarkably like Bait.

Ellis moved to sit beside Ezran, Ava settling down where she sat. It was a warm day with a slight breeze, one of those days in which it seemed a shame to be upset. "They probably just don't want to worry about you." Ellis told him.

"I know there's trouble and they don't want me in it, but maybe I could help." Ezran said. "Even if I couldn't, Callum's a mage and Rayla's a warrior; there's no way they couldn't protect me. It could be like old times."

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Aaravos, an elven archmage is…back from the dead or something, I don't know, and he's after Callum." Ezran said. "So, he's going to travel around to learn the other arcanums so he doesn't have to stay in one place or put the rest of us in danger. It's the Dragon Queen's orders that Rayla go with him to make sure he doesn't go bad like Aaravos did." He turned away bitterly. "That's what they said, anyway; if you ask me, she only went along to do things that would get them skinned alive if Aunt Amaya caught them."

"Oh." Ellis had an idea of what he meant; she'd been given the same talk some months ago by her guardian. The possibility made her face go a little pink, which, for some reason, caused Ezran's cheeks to heat up. For a moment, her thoughts lingered on Callum; At seventeen, he wasn't bad looking at all. Tall, a slim, strong frame, sharp but kind eyes, confident. And Ellis wasn't the only one to think so; Callum was a popular topic among many of the young women in the village who seemed taken with him. He was a handsome, sweet, powerful mage, though his devotion to Rayla was too big a hurdle for anyone to really consider worth it. If anything, his loyalty to her only increased their admiration of him.

"Ellis." Ezran called, shaking her shoulder to wake her. Ava was more successful, giving her face a few licks. She shook her head shortly, her blush growing on her face. "Lost you there for a bit."

"Sorry." She looked away, forcing Callum out of her mind. It wasn't easy, but she managed. "I-I don't think they'd be…doing that. It doesn't seem like either of them."

Ezran was puzzled, taking in Ellis's sudden discomfort. Somehow, this turned in to taking in her appearance. She was thirteen now, and he noticed slight changes in her body that he hadn't before, a difference in shape. What allowed him to see this were the cooler clothes she now wore, as opposed to the heavy coat, hat and the like that she'd worn year-round back in Katolis. She was becoming taller than him, too. So far, Ez had noticed of himself only that he was growing taller at twelve years old, though at the moment, he also took in his hot cheeks, sweaty hands and fluttering in his chest. Was this puberty? Oh, now he'd really give Callum a piece of his mind for abandoning him.

* * *

Claudia had had to look away. Cover her ears. The screams were too much. Now, she had to avoid looking at Amer for too long. She told herself he'd deserved whatever Aaravos and her father did to him; he'd destroyed their home, killed thousands of innocence. If that didn't make him a monster, she didn't know anything that would. His eyes were wide, and he was curled up on the ground, looking to be in shock. For the first time in a while, Claudia had to remind herself that he was nothing. The whimpers, the begging, that thing in his eyes that looked like guilt or fear, it was all for his own survival. No emotions. Just…just behavior driven by biology. No emotions. For some reason, Soren's depart – betrayal came into her mind and she recalled his words. Dad was changing and so was she. Claudia shook the voice from her head. Nonsense. It was all nonsense.

Wasn't it?

* * *

Sirus was heading away from the village, in the same direction he'd seen the dragon fly from Lux Aurea. It frustrated him that they were on the move again, but that also meant that they'd be alone. At the village, they were respected figures and the mage was the nephew of one of the top warriors. Now, there'd be no one to protect them. He ignored Kiara and Latis, who he knew were only staying with him at this point because there was nowhere else to go after years of being out here. Finally, after two and a half years, he'd end that traitorous human lover bring the mage's head home on a stick. They would be welcomed home as heroes.

* * *

Callum opened up his sketch book and pulled out a folded piece of paper that sat between two early pages. He unfolded the paper to show Rayla, and she saw a mostly blank map of the world. The human kingdoms to the west of the border were named and bore symbols; she recognized Katolis and its symbol of uneven towers. On Xadia's side, details were sparse; the Moonshadow Forest, Lux Aurea, the Storm Spire. There was a trail running from Katolis to the spire – it was a documentation of their journey to return Zym to his mother. She smiled, her heart filling with a longing for such simple times.

"Once we figure out where we are, we can start mapping this place out." Callum said, looking around for any sort of indicator of where they were. The newest addition to the map, Luna Tenebris's lair, was situated in the northeast, a short way from the coast. Callum tried to remember the rout that had been taken from Lux Aurea, and eventually came up with a circle that indicated a general area in the south of Xadia.

"Speaking of being lost," Rayla started as Callum finished his rough calculations. "any idea where to start with the sun arcanum?"

"Well, I have this theory." He said, "The moon arcanum is about illusions, darkness and things like that. Aunt Amaya gave me a rundown on Sunfire elves last night, that they believe in the truth of things, no matter what their appearance is."

"So, they're opposite, or…" Rayla asked, fairly certain that Callum would finish her thought.

"Two halves of a whole?" Callum tried. "I guess it's as good a starting point as any."

"Well, you're the mage here." She shrugged as Callum put the map away and took the sun magic book from the satchel. Now that he looked at it, he could see the similarities and differences between this and the moon magic book he kept back home; gifted to him by Lujanne when he'd completed his training. Somehow, it helped to solidify his theory. The moon magic book was a soothing dark blue with a soft silvery symbol of the moon arcanum, elven writing along the spine. This book was a bold red with a shining golden symbol of the sun arcanum, also with elven writing along the spine; only a few characters different than that of the moon.

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow." Callum said, looking over a few pages before closing it and replacing it in the sack. He would study the book before the sun went down. For now, he summoned his mage wings and flew upwards for bearings, leaving the sketchbook and bag with Rayla, who'd wait for him. In the open field, she'd be easy to spot. Unfortunately, Callum had forgotten that he, too, was easily spotted in the air.

Callum flew this way and that way, picking out landmarks he knew. The Storm Spire was just visible to the north, nothing of interest in the south, a mountain range to the east, and he could just make out the Moonshadow Forest to the west. Going a little further, the closest settlement seemed to be a strange town made up of tunnels in the east, sitting in the embrace of the mountains. Callum quickly decided that this was enough information for the time being and moved to return to Rayla.

"Well?" Rayla asked as Callum landed.

"There's a town to the west, at least I think it's a town, and the Moonshadow Forest is in the east." He reported. "But the town is in a mountain range."

"It'll be hard for anyone to find us there." She said. "Sounds good for learning the earth arcanum."

It was a bit disappointing, though not a terrible thing, when Callum's wings chose then to disintegrate. The pair simply shrugged and went on their way by foot; without Ezran or Zym to worry about, things were bound to be much easier. A little stroll wasn't going to hurt anyone. After about a mile, neither of them noticed the distance anymore, as they got lost in conversation, stories and jokes.

* * *

Although the staff no longer held power, Viren still kept it on him for sentimental purposes. "Tell me." Aaravos said to him, gaining his attention while Claudia was watching Amer cower several feet away. "Are you familiar with the history of primal stones?"

"Yes." Viren said. "Created by the ancient elven mages, untold centuries ago. Five for each primal source." With that, Viren rattled off more incorrect numbers. Aaravos smirked, giving Viren an expression that the old mage was beginning to recognize as meaning 'I know more about this then you do.' A humbling thought, truly.

"Seven." Aaravos said. "There were once seven primal stones. In my youth, I quite enjoyed experimenting. Combining things." he said, taking a moment to look at the black orb sounded by colors in the Scepter of Darkness, now radiating with power. "The gem in the center is a sun primal stone, enhancing the power of the Sunfire elves who once wielded it. The same was true for the Scepter of Shadows before it was lost. So on and so forth with the rest." He turned back to Viren. "It inspired me. It took quite a long time to gather one of every kind of primal stone and siphon their power into a single gem."

Viren looked surprised. He and others before him had suspected it for generations, but it had never been confirmed. He wouldn't have thought Aaravos had been the one to create it, though. "So, that's two less of every stone."

"And a sky primal stone." Claudia put in from where she was. "Callum had one, but he smashed it."

"He what!?" Viren yelled. Primal stones were precious things, unbelievably rare, priceless... That little mongrel, he –

"Yes." Aaravos's only action was to nod. Somehow, this calmed Viren down. "I believe that leaves only four sky stones left in the world. How wasteful." he turned back to Claudia and their little guest. Amer remained on the ground, as if that would keep him safe. How hard the mighty fell. He sneered smugly. "I bring this up because of Callum."

"Callum?" Claudia asked. Although Amer kept in his position, his ears perked at the name as well, his heart filling with hatred. Perhaps as a defense mechanism, Amer had convinced himself that this was truly all Callum's doing. Amer hadn't figured out the specifics, but it was somehow that human's doing. Because humans were evil, something every elf knew, had been taught from an early age. These dark mages only confirmed it, they were all the same.

"His connection to his precious arcanums." Aaravos said. "Another theory, should you not like the idea of half-elves, as to how it's possible is the constant exposure to not one, but two magical items including that primal stone. That the magic rubbed off on him, somehow."

"So, that means…" Viren said, looking stunned at his now useless staff.

"Unfortunately, those primal stones had been endowed with dark magic." Aaravos said, now seeming suddenly aloof. "I doubt it's possible to acquire a primal source from the gem. And even if it was, why would you want to?" Before anyone could reply, Amer finally got up and bolted, using his depleted reserves of courage to force himself to get away.

"Hey, wait!" Claudia pursued.

"Let him go, we're done with him." Aaravos dismissed before she got more than a few feet. They let the rogue elf run, burning with a renewed hatred of humans. So long as he didn't go after Callum directly, it was fine.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** , someone's growing up, it looks like. And don't worry about Ellis, it's just a passing crush she has. Speaking of change, it's you-guys' time! Things are going to start getting a little dimmer. With that in mind, one character has come to a crossroad and I must have a vote from you, and this one will impact the story. Should Claudia be redeemed or is she too far gone? Whichever answer gets more votes, it will have consequences, which is much less ominous then it sounds, I promise. Review.


	21. The Sun Arcanum

**Chapter Twenty-one: The Sun Arcanum**

The pleasant warmth Callum felt was short lived. Far too quickly, the heat rose to blistering levels. He looked around for some shade, but there wasn't so much as a bush to be seen. The sun was blazing in the sky, everything was bright. He didn't feel thirsty, just very, very hot. A sudden noise exploded in Callum's ears, forcing him to cover them protectively. He knelt down, the heat beating down on his back.

When he opened his eyes, Callum found himself back at the gorge that marked the border between Xadia and the human kingdoms. Before him was Sol Regem, his face unmarred by whatever had happened to blind him. Since their initial meeting, Callum had seen pictures of the old dragon in his prime. His heart pounded as Sol Regem sniffed around, looking for him. Minutes seemed like hours.

He wasn't sure why he was hiding; he wasn't that afraid. He felt nervous at the very most, but he wasn't the same novice mage he had been then, nor was he a boy anymore. As he took in the imposing being, he couldn't help but compare him to the charred remains that, in the waking world, now lay in the center of the wastelands.

"Show yourself, mage." The dragon demanded in a low growl. "Nothing will be accomplished by hiding. I will find you."

Callum gathered his courage. Or was it anger? The kingdom that had been his first home. From age fifteen, he had come to consider Xadia his home and truth be told, he had felt more at home there than he ever had in the palace, but Katolis was where he was born and where he grew up. Yep, he was definitely angry. Emboldened by the adrenaline coursing threw him, Callum emerged, a look of fury on his face. Let the dragon do his worst.

"Sol Regem!" His shout echoed through the canyon, gaining Sol Regem's attention. The last thing Callum saw was a blast of fire coming his way, an unimaginable heat washing over him before the blast had even reached him.

The echo of Sol Regem's roar rang in Callum's ears as the noise and the intense heat suddenly disappeared. The darkness was becoming familiar to him by now, though he wondered who'd be here to greet him this time.

* * *

While Viren and Claudia were searching for creatures to use for dark magic, Aaravos contemplated Callum. If the boy truly was of his own blood, it made more sense that he should be at his side, not fighting a pointless battle. It was an even greater point of pride to him that a human, the first he had ever actually seen with his own eyes, had learned primal magic. He and his companions were on their way to that mountain range Callum and Rayla were near, and should they cross paths with the pair, there was a concealment spell that would hide them. Aaravos was personally not in the mood for a fight.

* * *

Callum was surprised to see Soren, who in turn looked equally surprised to be there. "Callum?" he asked. "I thought you and Rayla took off."

"We did." He said. "I'm supposed to be connecting to the sun arcanum. Every time, so far, I've had someone help me realize something huge that changed how I saw the world."

"Oh, well then, you picked the wrong guy for that." Soren raised his hands and shook his head. Even as he said his next words, though, he didn't seem especially upset. "Even if I were a mage, I know I'm not the sharpest sword on the battlefield."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Callum said. "You're one of the most honest guys I know, you know what you're about. You saw the truth about your dad before anyone did and you left him. Even if it hurt, you knew it…" Callum stopped and Soren watched as his eyes widened in realization. "Was the truth." He finished in a whisper.

"What?" Soren asked, confused at Callum's sudden change in demeanor.

"That's it, that's the sun arcanum!" Callum explained excitedly. "Everything has a truth and without realizing it…without exposing what's hidden, there's no going forward."

"Hold on," Soren said. "I thought the whole point of the moon arc-thingy was illusions and appearances and stuff. How they're inevitable or something."

Callum considered this for a moment. "Maybe it's…on a case-by-case basis?" he questioned. He looked away in thought for a moment, thinking that it was actually a pretty basic concept; some things were as they seemed like the sun, ground and stone, while others weren't, like the moon, the eye of a storm, or the sour taste of something that looked sweet. Somehow, there was a strange harmony between sun and moon, light and dark, that he had never noticed before; they weren't exactly opposites, their relationship was more complicated than that. When he looked back, Callum found that Soren had disappeared. He supposed he should have been thankful that he wasn't forced to see another person be overtaken by stone and crumble in a grizzly display.

In a sharp contrast to the rest of this dream, the scene changed to a cloudy, cool day, offering instant relief from the heat. Callum was in a grassy field and he didn't need his connection to the sky arcanum to know that a storm was brewing; the wind was wild, and the air had a crisp scent. There was one other figure in this field, facing him with his eyes clothed. He could tell it was an elf by his horns and light blue skin, but…maybe he wasn't. He lacked any markings on his face and more importantly, his hands sported a full five fingers. Part of Callum wanted to speak, but he found himself voiceless. His heartbeat picked up when the figure opened his eyes to look at him, and Callum found himself staring into his own eyes.

* * *

Callum awoke with a start. It was brief, though, as the brisk smell of the air, the warmth of Rayla snuggled up to him and the peace of the morning calmed him. It was daybreak. Yes, he now understood the sun arcanum, but acknowledging its relationship to the moon… This itself was an example of something the two shared, the idea of illusion versus illumination. Callum found himself wondering if there were such relationships between the remaining four primal sources, and if so, how the four divided. Rayla awoke and smiled lovingly at Callum. The next half-hour would be a slow, lazy rise for both of them, filled with whispers of sweet nothings and light kisses. It would have been utter bliss if not for an unspoken truth that they both knew; this couldn't last.

* * *

Soren had always been an early riser. Back in Katolis, he had prided himself on it as a means of getting an early start on training. He had kept the habit in Novus, partly due to the lingering threat of Viren and the elf Aaravos, and partly because he enjoyed the peace before the rest of the village awoke.

He was outside in the square, just in the middle of his stretching, when a pair of shadows overtook him. He looked up and beheld a pair of Skywing elves flying overhead. One he recognized as Ibis, and the other he had never seen before. He called up to them, waving. He was glad when they descended to meet him, but he seemed to lose his breath as he watched the new Skywing elf.

She was a petite thing, with skin the same lavender as the sky during sunset that faded into a darker purple down her arms in the same way Ibis's coloration did. Her hair, which was done up in a long braid, was a pale blue that faded into black in the same way as it descended down her back. Her low, black horns were slimmer than most Skywing elves he'd seen and her large eyes were the same light blue as Ibis's.

"Ibis," Soren greeted. "Who's…your friend?"

"Good morning, Soren." Ibis greeted with a curt nod and gestured to the female as their wings – his black and her gray – disappeared. "This is my daughter, Zephyr. Zephyr, this is Soren; he was of great help against the Battle of the Storm Spire two years ago."

"Hello Soren." She said. As cheesy as it sounded, Soren quite liked the sound of his name from her mouth. Her voice was calm, like her fathers, but also had a wispiness to it. "Callum's told me about you."

"You know Callum?" Soren knew this shouldn't have bothered him, Callum was obviously devoted to Rayla in full, but all the same he couldn't help but remember bits of conversations he'd overheard from young women int the village fawning over Callum, giggling as he walked by and cursing the annoying fact that Rayla was far too good of a person to hate. It had bothered him then, and it did so now.

"He was my father's student for a year." Zephyr explained. "Of course, we talked and became friends in that time. They came to Aviana once a month to visit my brother and I. We talked about all kinds of things."

"Zephyr is very interested in Novus." Ibis explained. "She's considering moving here full time."

A wave of joy overtook Soren and he smiled widely. "Well, I…I'm free, I can show her around town if you want."

"That'd be lovely, thanks." Zephyr smiled back at him. For her part, she found this human quite charming and decided that if there were more like him in the village, she could be very happy here. She turned to Ibis. "Uh, you don't mind, do you Dad?"

Ibis smiled at her, and to Soren's amazement, the look didn't falter at all when the older elf's eyes flitted to him and back to his daughter. What did change, Soren saw, was knowing. Ibis knew what Soren was trying to do, but for some reason he didn't seem upset. In his experience, fathers had always been dangerously protective of their daughters. Even Lain, perhaps the most laid-back parent Soren had ever met, followed Callum with suspicious eyes. It was strange, but Soren decided not to question a good thing. Ibis just smiled at them as they walked off, saying something about fair skies, and Zephyr happily listening to Soren as he talked about this and that.

It seemed that Soren hadn't been the only one who had thought the morning was too lovely to waste, as Lain and Tiadrin came strolling up to Ibis, also taking a moment to register the two walking off together. The two Moonshadow elves looked bewildered at the sight. Ibis looked at them and sighed.

"You Moonshadow elves and your honor." Ibis shook his head and, although he truly meant no offense, neither Lain nor Tiadrin seemed to appreciate the comment. Although the elves as a collective considered themselves above weak, powerless humans, Ibis was open enough to admit that there was a deep divide between the races. Many negative stereotypes. Maybe because of these radically different lifestyles leading each kind to see the others as too different to get along with. Moonshadow elves valued honor above their own lives, so others saw them as cold and almost suicidal, Skywing elves like himself were known to come and go and perhaps had earned their reputation as being cowardly and disloyal. Earthblood elves were stubborn and narrow-minded and Sunfire elves were violent and prideful.

"You actually condone this?" Lain frowned. He had protested when Rayla had chosen to go off alone with that mage of hers, only stopped by Queen Zubeia. He certainly wasn't happy.

"I do." Ibis told them, and the couple exchanged a surprised look; such a blunt admission was unexpected. Did those Skywing elves have no shame? "I realize you Moonshadow elves hold your honor as first priority, even above your own lives. We Skywing elves, on the other hand, value our freedom. I know Soren is a good boy, and human or not, it's up to Zephyr whether or not she wants to pursue him in that sense. Besides that, she's grown; I can't make the decision for her, I can only trust that I have raised a smart, kind, capable young woman who can look after herself." As his spoke this last sentence, he looked at them each in turn.

Tiadrin watched with sympathy as her husband sighed and seemed to deflate. "Ibis…" he stated, looking tired, and it was clear from his tone that they were no longer talking about Soren and Zephyr. "It's not only that he's a human. What do we know about him? He's the son, by blood or not, of the man who slew the Dragon King."

Ibis could have pointed out the hypocrisy here; after all, the couple seemed fine with Soren, who they knew was the birth son of the dark mage who had imprisoned them, threatened their daughter and nearly killed their prince. On the other hand, he knew quite well that Soren wasn't the one who held Rayla's heart in his hands. In the end, who was related to who didn't truly matter, it was about the investment in the mage that Rayla presented; it was a bigger deal to them because it was their child, not another's.

"Must I remind you that he is one of them?" Lain said at last.

"Do you know how much torture Rayla went through to free the two of you?" Ibis said, his voice somehow avoiding a sharp edge. "She wanted you back so badly. She's also very stubborn and she doesn't seem to be in any hurry to leave him." Lain looked away with a scowl and Tiadrin huffed. Ibis sighed; he'd hoped he wouldn't have to pull this sort of card. "What if they did stay together, and their union were to produce children?" That certainly got the couple's attention. They looked stunned at the prospect. "Would you reject your own grandchildren for being halflings?"

Ibis knew he was playing with fire, as it were; Moonshadow elves, along with honor, had this idea of purity. While there were no records of a Moonshadow elf falling in love with a human, even before the Judgment of the Half-Moon, even finding mates in other elven races was a heavy stigma and was liable to result in being made a ghost. In short, Moonshadow elves did not typically tolerate hybrids. But…Lain and Tiadrin looked at each other. After all she'd done to save them, could they really do such a thing to their sweet little girl?

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I think every time Callum connects to an arcanum, we'll have ourselves a small timeskip, like a month, for him to learn the basic spells off-screen (off-page?), but not exactly master the magic. As is to be stated, the priority is to acquire the basic powers and he can fine-tune his craft later, when the danger has passed. So, lets say a month takes place between now and the next chapter. That cool with you guys? Review.


	22. The Taste Of Blood

**Chapter Twenty-two: The Taste Of Blood**

"Are you sure?" Rayla asked.

It had been a month since Callum had connected to the sun arcanum and he had spent day after day getting acquainted with the spells in the book, as he had with the moon arcanum, though again, he preferred learning from a mentor. He had finished the book last night.

"Yes." Callum said. "I can learn the more advance spells later. The priority is to connect to the arcanums and learn the basic spells as fast as possible. Who knows how many arcanums Aaravos has now?"

"I guess that's true." She shrugged. "So, which one is next?"

"Probably earth." Callum said. "Didn't you say that star magic is the hardest to understand?"

Rayla now felt nervous. If he meant to save the star arcanum for last, that would mean that after earth would be the ocean arcanum. That wouldn't be fun, but she steeled herself; she couldn't lie to him. "Yes. Star dragons have been gone for millenniums and Startouch elves are hard to come by. We're actually incredibly lucky to have met two."

Callum picked up on her discomfort and drew her to him for a kiss. His holding her and her snuggling up to him had the benefit of creating warmth as well; being mid-autumn, it was a chilly morning. Trees were barren, wind rushed from place to place in icy gusts, and nights now held the possibility of yielding a frost. "Hey, I'll be there. I'll keep you safe." He pulled away for a moment to draw a rune, then spoke: "Calore Ignis."

The air seemed to take on an orangish tint for a moment as the two were encased in warmth, as though they had suddenly come to a roaring fire. Rayla laughed as she again found her way into Callum's arms, now more for the comfort and security then warmth. "Pretty smart move to learn some sun magic before it starts really getting cold."

"Hey, I can get a good idea from time to time." He quipped. Despite the warmth of the spell, they continued to snuggle. Had Callum and Rayla not been so occupied with each other, they probably would have heard the footsteps creeping up from behind them.

* * *

It was a late morning in Novus. Ezran had stalled in bed under his warm covers for as long as his aunt allowed him, though she eventually had to drag him out of bed. Or rather, drag his blanket, which he clung to, out of his room before he finally relented and got up, leaving his nice, toasty bed for this chilly day. This seemed to be the case with many other residences in the village as well, everyone scurrying from place to place to escape the chill. At least days like this tended to warm up.

Ezran and Ellis tended to find company in each other more and more in the past weeks, especially after Soren began spending time with Zephyr. He was grateful for the company, with Callum and Rayla also gone. Today, though, she didn't seem to be out for whatever reason; Ellis and the others from her former village seemed to adore this weather, which was just a bit nippy and not freezing. He supposed year-round snow would do that to a person's worldview.

A grunt got his attention and he saw a gathering for four familiar adults, some of the few people tolerating the weather. His aunt Amaya, Gren, Lain and Tiadrin. The surprised noise had come from Tiadrin, who Amaya was currently lifting off the ground in a tight hug. Lain, who himself had been subject to a couple of the woman's combinations of strength and affection, now looked nervous. Curious, Ezran headed over.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Amaya set the other woman down to then be carefully cradled by her husband, and she signed to him. Ezran knew some sign langue but wasn't as fluent as his brother. He did, however, pick up the word 'baby'. The boy's face split into a wide smile.

"We weren't expecting it so soon, though." Tiadrin said, playfully trying to wriggle out of Lain's protective grasp. "All of my life, I thought I couldn't have children; Rayla was a big surprise for us."

Amaya signed and Gren promptly translated, both with proud smiles on their faces: "Congratulations you two. I know the baby will be strong. Have you found a place of your own yet?"

"We have, not far from the square." Lain said. When he caught a look from his wife that looked as though she had won an argument earlier that he was now obliged to honor, he carried on. "On the subject of employment, I don't suppose you have room for a Moonshadow elf on your guard?"

Amaya had to smirk at this. Not three years ago, she thought that Moonshadow elves were the worst kind of elf, sneaky, twisted and the mere mention of them sent her body temperature rising in anger. Now here she was, almost eager to have a being of such skill and intelligence in her ranks. The Dragon Queen herself sang the praises of these two, no doubt they would truly be valuable to her guard.

"I'd be honored, Lain." Amaya signed, Gren translating. With that, she turned to Tiadrin. "Tiadrin, you're welcome, too, once the baby is old enough to be left alone, of course."

Lain felt a bit nervous when the soldiers lead him away, presumably to get acquainted with the rest of their troop, leaving his wife alone with the younger nephew of the general. Ezren, meanwhile, was no longer feeling lonely or bored, now occupying himself with thoughts of the new baby. Now he really couldn't wait for Callum and Rayla to come back

* * *

"CALLUM!"

The screaming of his name was the last thing he herd before the rushing of blood filled his ears. There was a stabbing pain in his left arm, robbing him of conscious thought.

Rayla's eyes were wide with rage as she stood up and saw the culprits; Sirus, Kiara and Latis were looking defiantly at her. In Latis's still raised hand was a bow. There was an arrow embedded in Callum's arm. Rayla unsheathed her swords, her jaw clinched.

"What did you do?" She demanded, furiously.

"Letting nature takes it's course, my love." Sirus smiled at Rayla. She was too angry to even be disgusted at his words. "Humans are, always have been and always will be lesser beings, magic or no magic. Those who take life lightly will lose it lightly."

"That's not a saying." Kiara whispered to Latis, who himself was still focused on Callum but spared her a curtesy glance while she spoke.

"Your human brought back Aaravos, Rayla. Aaravos!" Sirus yelled. "Do you even remember the history? Or even those old kiddie stories?"

"We don't know how Aaravos came back, but Callum didn't have anything to do with it." Rayla defended. Latis began fitting his bow with another arrow.

Callum glared at Sirus and the others. He...he was a mage. Not just any mage, but a human mage who had connected to three arcanums so far. The son of soldiers and nephew of a general. He couldn't go out like this. Certainly, not to one measly arrow. Callum struggled and forced himself to his feet, drew a rune, and sent a blast of Fulimis toward Sirus who jumped out of the way with the swiftness common to the Moonshadow elves. In the same moment, Rayla sprang to Latis, swords at his throat.

The arrow flew from the bow into the sky, the bow itself now on the ground. Callum, Sirus and Kiara watched, fixed to their spots. Rayla's hand trembled violently, making her swords cling together every so often.

"You wouldn't." Kiara's voice trembled.

"You'd kill your own kind, your friend, for a human?" Sirus asked. In Callum's opinion it was far too cocky a tone for this situation.

"For him, I would." Rayla told him, though she didn't break eye contact with Latis, who's look was defiant as if he were daring her to do it.

"You won't do it." Latis said. "You're too soft to kill. Runaan is a true example of everything we Moonshadow elves should aspire to be save for one thing – he's an awful judge of character. You don't have the strength for bloodshed, Rayla, but you are a smart one. Brainwashed as you are by them, you know your choices are wrong."

"Shut up!" She shouted, tears welling in her eyes. The words were making Callum angry, too, though he didn't share the amazement of the elves. It was the longest speech any of them had ever heard from Latis in their lives; he usually only spoke when spoken to and even then it would just be one or two words. When Kiara made began to run to them, Rayla's blades closed on his neck.

The two young women looked at each other with fear as he fell to the ground. Rayla straightened herself up and backed away half in a daze, feeling all stunned eyes on her. She barely registered Callum rushing – or trying to rush – to her side. Kiara, tears in her eyes, grabbed Latis's body when Rayla was far enough away, and dragged him away. Sirus was now alone.

"He can't possibly he worth it." Sirus said lowly, though his voice was still unbelieving.

"He's worth ten of you." Rayla returned, leaning into Callum has he held her close with his good arm. Callum wasn't looking pleased with him, either. Rayla raised one of her swords to point at him, though her threat was lessened by the tremble in her voice. "Leave or join Latis in the the afterlife." Sirus had the good sense to back up though he continued to taunt her.

"You've killed one of our own for your human." he said, his eyes darkening with hatred. For a moment, Rayla entertained the thought that maybe this meant he'd finally stop trying to 'save' her from Callum. At least that would be something good to come from this mess. "You're far beyond redemption and are a traitor to Xadia. We will see you and all of your kind dead." Finally, he turned around and caught up to Kiara, assisting her with the body. They headed east.

The adrenaline finally wearing off, a wave of pain and exhaustion overwhelmed Callum and he became a dead weight. Rayla dropped her swords to grab onto him and lower him onto the ground softly. They lay forgotten on the ground. For the second time, they were covered with a sticky, red substance, and this time is wasn't berry juice. Callum began breathing hard and, once more, his world became one of pain until he couldn't take it anymore and the world went dark.

Rayla would have loved to find some kind of cover, but there was nothing close by; Sirus and Kiara were still visible as they fled with Latis's body. Rayla was annoyed but resigned herself to the risk. At times like this, she was glad for her hardy upbringing under Runaan. If she hadn't been trained to switch off her emotions in these situations, she would have been panicking right now. Another benefit of her education was that she had received basic first-aid training; all assassins did to have their bases covered. Not to say she could save someone from the brink of death or cure some terrible illness, but she knew enough to deal with a simple arrow wound. First and foremost, she had to fight the urge to remove the arrow at once, until she had prepared another method of stopping the bleeding. As Rayla retrieved a small first-aid kit from the bag, she silently thanked the stars for General Amaya and her overbearing ways.

* * *

Soren could honestly say he hadn't been so happy in a long time. Zephyr had quickly decided that she would absolutely be staying in Novus, and he had found that she was not only beautiful, but surprisingly easy to talk to. Even talking about Viren and Claudia didn't seem to carry the sting it usually did, so that was what today's talk was about.

"It's awful that your father treated you like that." She said, looking at him with sympathy. They were lounging beneath a tree half-a-mile outside the village, enjoying the way the day was warming up.

"Yeah, well, it's over now." Soren dismissed. "And at least he did help me figure out something important."

"Which is?" she pressed, and he gave her a small smile. Somehow, this produced in Zephyr a heat in her cheeks that was familiar to her, but it was strange that it was happening so fast. When Soren answered, his voice was one of sincerity and drive.

"If I ever have kids, I'm not going to do what he did. I'll be a better father then he ever was because my kids will be loved and protected. So what if one isn't as smart or talented as the others, they're…they're still mine. And I'll die before I'd let anything happen to any of them."

Soren went silent when Zephyr hugged him. It wasn't until then that he realized he had started crying. The last time he'd cried, he'd been maybe ten or eleven. He couldn't even remember what it was about, but his father had scolded him for it, telling him he was much too old to cry and to be a man. Soren returned the hug, his arms shaking until they wrapped around her. "I know you'd be a good dad, just because you see that Viren was wrong about how he treated you and your sister. It's okay now, you're here with us."

His heart going crazy, Soren somehow managed to keep calm with a small smile. He tightened his hold on the elf and buried his nose on her hair. For comfort. He wasn't being a creep. "Thanks, Zephyr."

* * *

Sirus and Kiara had made it back to the Moonshadow Forest as the sun was setting. Familiar territory notwithstanding, they needed to get going after taking care of business. The grave they dug was crude and shallow – they had lost too many of their group to be so meticulous about losses now, even if Kiara did it all while crying. Sirus, meanwhile, had been hardened by this experience. Finally, Rayla had been driven to kill, over a filthy human.

"My condolences." A voice made the two jump. Out from behind a tree came a Sunfire elf, who looked like he'd been wandering Xadia for years. Sirus and Kiara jumped away, surprised and angry. Certain races of elves held seemed simply unable to get along, among these were the Sunfire and Moonshadow elves. Sunfire elves were foolish, Moonshadow elves were paranoid. Rayla had found herself being welcome, or at the very least tolerated, by the Sunfire elves she knew only out of familiarity. Kiara or Sirus held no such relationship to a Sunfire elf.

"Why are you here, Sunfire elf?" Sirus demanded. "This is Moonshadow territory."

"Calm down." He said. "We don't need to fight when we're after the same thing." When Sirus and Kiara looked confused, the Sunfire elf looked out at the field that the two had come from. Rayla and the human were a pair of small dots near the horizon. "Humans have no place in Xadia. Certainly, no place among us elves. That one out there, he's the cause of all of this, their unnatural attraction provoked Sol Regem to destroy a human kingdom, and the Dragon Queen foolishly allowed the survivors to come here."

"Rayla wouldn't –" Kiara started but Sirus interrupted.

"Rayla wouldn't kill one of her friends for some human." he said. "The Rayla we knew is dead."

"Probably." The Sunfire elf said. "What I'm trying to do is get rid of them. Can I count on you?"

"There's no other choice." Sirus said. "We used to be ten, now we're down to two. There's nothing left to lose. I'm Sirus, this is Kiara. Is there anywhere we can get our numbers up?"

"There are rumors of a place in that mountain range a couple of days away." The stranger said and grinned, a hint of derangement shimmering in his eyes. "I'm Prince Amer."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Sorry if this is a might late, I've been editing things and brainstorming many an idea. How about you go back through and see what's changed? Now that the boring stuff is done, onward! Carole Ignis is Latin for "Warmth of the fire". Review.


	23. The Rogues

**Chapter Twenty-three: The Rogues**

Callum awoke to a night sky dotted with stars and a half-moon. The pain was still present, but it was less fiery now, and relegated to his left arm. He turned his head to see Rayla pressed close to his right – away from his left arm, the hurt arm – and she was trembling in her sleep. It was a cold night, the first truly cold night of the season. Quickly, Callum used his good hand to perform Calore Ignis in a whisper and the air around the couple grew warm. Rayla calmed immediately and smiled as the sudden warmth washed over her. Callum smiled at this and allowed the warmth to return him to sleep.

When Callum rose the next day, he was able to hoist himself up – though he quickly discovered this was a mistake as his left arm erupted in pain, making him hiss.

"Careful!" Rayla appeared in his line of sight and tried to steady him. "Don't put too much pressure on that arm." Callum looked his left arm over; the arrow was gone and in its place was a bandage wrapped around his upper arm. A single, decently sized spot of red was all that marred the white fabric.

Callum looked around, seeing the ground about a foot away stained with blood with a small trail of drops heading toward the west. Rayla inhaled sharply, her face that stoic it became when she was suppressing something. Callum didn't say a word as he held her with his good arm. She wrapped her arms around him and melted into the embrace, but she didn't cry – she'd gotten her crying out yesterday after she had treated him, when she was alone.

"Are you okay?" Callum asked.

"I'll be fine." Rayla replied, though she made no move to leave Callum's arm.

"Rayla," He said in a whisper. "please." It was a few seconds before she spoke.

"He was my friend." She said, tightening her grip on him. It would have been too tight to someone whose own aunt didn't so frequently give such bone-crushing hugs. "We weren't the closest, but he…none of them deserved…A-and I…I've never…" She trailed off.

"You needed to act fast." Callum assured her and kissed her head. "They could have backed off, and they didn't. What happened wasn't your fault."

Maybe it was her influence over him, or the fact that he'd been shot yesterday, but he felt that they were too exposed out here. He also supposed his mage wings would be out of commission for at least a few days. They needed to get going. He dropped his embrace and took her hand in his.

"Tell me about them." Callum said. "What you are guys like growing up?"

Thankfully, Rayla smiled and seemed to perk up, if only by a little, as they started heading east. The agreement was a silent one that west, where the others had fled, was the exact opposite of where they needed to be. "I've…been friends with Kiara since before I can remember. We only formally met Latis and Sirus when we started school. Latis…was always so quiet. For the first few months, we all thought he was mute. Sirus, on the other hand, was always noisy. Always causing trouble and bossing everyone around."

"Sounds like you two have things in common." A sly grin appeared on Callum's face. "You sure I don't need to be jealous of him?" Rayla laughed, as did Callum.

"Definitely not." She said, calming down. Callum was glad to see her smiling again, even if was just for a moment. "I think Sirus might have been born to flirt, always trying to sweet-talk any girl who caught his eye. Honestly, I have no idea why he focused on me so much."

"Probably because you're the bravest, kindest, most beautiful elf in Xadia." Callum told her. She blushed as they stopped walking and he lifted her chin, so the tips of their noses touched. Rayla smiled. "Or maybe he's just sore about losing you to a human."

"Maybe." She conceded with a laugh. "It has to be a bruise to his ego." Her smile slowly lessened before it disappeared. "I…I don't know if I can do it again, even if it is Sirus."

Seeing her change in demeanor, Callum calmed down as well. "Well, who's to say this isn't a wake-up call for them? Even if Sirus is really that much of an idiot, maybe Kiara can talk some sense into him."

"I doubt it; Kiara's always been the submissive sort." Rayla said. "I think the only reason she didn't get eaten alive in school was because of me. I spent the first few days beating other kids up if they picked on her. Pretty much got in trouble every other day, but it wasn't long before the other kids knew to leave her alone."

"And Sirus?"

"He is a that much of an idiot." Rayla said. "Remember how stubborn Runaan was about us? Sirus is that stubborn, without the intelligence to balance it out."

They laughed and pressed their foreheads together, looking deeply into each other's eyes and smiling. He brought a hand to her face and she leaned into his touch. His smile grew when a laugh broke through her lips. "There." Callum's voice was soft. "There's my Rayla."

* * *

Soren stared in amazement at the weapon from his newly acquired spot on the ground. Amaya had tasked him with putting Lain through his paces today, to see what he could do. They were outside the village, with Amaya, Gren, Corvus, Ezren and Tiadrin watching from the sidelines. Soren had acted rather pompous about it, not unlike he had once been with Callum, although Amaya had told him to knock it off and be serious. Soren had indeed payed for his hubris when the elf had knocked him down in less then a minute.

Lain and Tiadrin's weapons had been preserved – as was tradition for a fallen Dragonguard even before King Avizandum's reign. They had been retrieved and returned to their owners just the other day. Now Soren was looking in amazement at the polearm with the two scythes on either end, which he could have sworn had come part at the lines along the pole and become a whip-like weapon, though it was again a sturdy polearm.

Lain looked very pleased with himself to have shut this obnoxious human up. Forget the mage, he thought; how in the world could his daughter stand this little loudmouth enough to call him a friend? Tiadrin smiled proudly at her husband; she was the only one who wasn't wide-eyed with amazement. At her hip was her sword, which she wore once again with pride.

"Tha-that thing's incredible." Soren said. He looked at Tiadrin when she whistled for attention. Lain smiled as she strolled over to a nearby tree and unsheathed her sword. As far as anyone could see, it was a common sword, if in pristine condition for a weapon that had seen battle. She swung the sword at the tree, and the humans watched in amazement as the blade came undone by segments joined by a cable, becoming a bladed whip the wrapped around the trunk and left a series of small scars in the bark. The cable retracted and again the thing was a perfectly ordinary sword to the eye. Soren caught himself drooling over the thing.

"Incredible." Gren said on behalf of Amaya. "None of us have seen such things before."

"We owe our weapons to Ethari's skilled hands." Tiadrin told them, sheathing her sword and returning to them. "He created them."

"Ethari?" Amaya asked, her words again translated by Gren. "I thought he was just a smith. Or does that word mean something else to Moonshadow elves?"

"We're not sure what a human's idea of a smith is," Lain said. "but our smiths are crafters who create customized weapons built around the wielders individual combat style, and Ethari just happens to be the best in our village."

Soren got to his feet, continuing to admire the fascinating elven weapons. The conversation was lost to the ears of the young dark mage, who was getting the hang of entering the astral plain. Seeing Soren reacting positively to those elven weapons, and the more-or-less calm way the elves seemed to insert themselves into the traitorous General's circle made her blood boil. Still angry, she left; she'd put that anger to good use where she, her father and Aaravos were going.

* * *

"What are we doing here?" Kiara asked. They had started going east only hours after they had met. Sirus had returned to the Silvergrove to swipe a scroll for a basic concealment spell, thus allowing them to go unseen by either Callum or Rayla, or any other foe who might attack them. Now they were entering the mountains though the clearest path they could find.

"I spent some time after my banishment wandering around." Amer said. "I narrowly escaped what I found here. Maybe now they'll listen to me."

"Who?" Sirus asked. There was no answer given, he and Kiara just followed the former prince deeper into the mountains. Eventually, they came to a large clearing, surrounded by the rang on all sides. There was a towns worth of dirt mounds raised, some covered with rocks, others nothing but dirt, but all large enough to give propose to the doors that looked like they lead to nothing but more dirt. The mounds were well spaced out, as though whatever the doors lead to was far bigger than the mounds that were visible.

"What is this place?" Kiara asked.

"Just stay close to me, these people aren't friendly." Amer said. He walked up to one of the large mounds and knocked on the door. Undetected by anyone, were two pairs of eyes that were forever burned into the minds of Amer, Kiara and Sirus, watching them. The door opened, revealing what seemed to be a huge burrow in the ground. If each of these doors led to a burrow, it was no wonder the mounds were so far apart. Out of the hole came…an Earthblood elf.

"Tomin." Amer greeted, his voice distant and professional. But he wasn't like any Earthblood elf either Sirus or Kiara had ever seen. The few they had seen were content, peaceful and relaxed. The man before them was tense, and glaring. Tomin was an imposing figure, tall, muscular and a face and arms marred with scars. Behind him, a woman appeared, holding a young child.

"Who's that?" the little one asked, pointing at Amer. Even the small little girl – who couldn't be more than five at the oldest – was looking at the newcomers with distrust.

"Intruders, love." The woman said, her eyes also trained on them with anger. "Don't you worry, though, your father will make them go away."

"You." Tomin snarled. "Is there a reason you're back?"

"I have some news for you, and a proposition." Amer smiled. He was the only one to do so, as Sirus and Kiara had taken on stoic appearances.

* * *

Unaware of the company they had been keeping, Callum and Rayla had been traveling peacefully all day. Now the sun was just starting to dip into the horizon behind them. Now they had come to the mountains. Going down a relatively open path through the rang, it wasn't long before they found shelter; a small, shallow space that could only generously be called a cave, it was more like a nook in the rock wall. Hardly a decent hideaway, but fine for staying out of sight from someone who might wish them ill for a night.

"I'll go look for food." Rayla said, gaining Callum's attention. "There might not be many opportunities to forage for a while; best to stock up now."

"Are you sure you'll be okay out there?" Callum asked. "I might not know my way around this rang, but neither do you."

"I'll be okay." She promised. "I wasn't the one who was shot –"

"I was distracted." Callum joked, and she gave him a playful look before continuing.

"and if something does happen, I can handle myself. I'm supposed to be protecting you, aren't I?"

Callum put up with the pain as he lifted his left arm to properly hold her to him for once today. "I know, I'll be right here." Rayla smiled and pecked him on the cheek.

"I'll be right back." She promised before turning around and leaping away. Callum smiled and watched her acrobatics as her figure became smaller and smaller before it finally vanished.

Callum awoke what seemed to be a few moments later, not remembering when he had fallen asleep. Rayla hadn't yet returned and he chanced emerging from the cave and stretched. He was about to reenter the cave when he noticed something strange; the sunlight was coming from the east. But…that couldn't be right. That would make it morning, not evening, meaning he had slept through the night. But if that was true, then where was Rayla?

Fighting panic, Callum loaded himself with his bag and sketchbook and stood up. He set out to search for her, preparing himself for anything. At least, he noticed, the pain in his arm was lessening.

The sun was a little higher in the sky before he found anything. His heart leapt as he came into a small area dotted with large rocks. Rayla, bound and unconscious, laying in the center of the clearing. Callum knew this was a trap of some kind, but he didn't care, he ran. If nothing else, they'd be trapped together.

"Rayla!" he said in a breath as he reached her. Thankfully, she was still breathing. Gathering her in his arms, the corners of his eyes picked up movement. Emerging from behind the rocks all around him were…they looked like Earthblood elves, but they looked cruel and dangerous, so unlike the Earthblood elves back home. Several had weapons drawn. Callum held Rayla protectively to him as the largest approached him. Brandished in his hands were…Rayla's swords. He laughed darkly.

"Those Moonshadow elves are some fighters, I'll tell ya." He said. His face and arms bore scars and littered throughout his body was a layer of fresh cuts. One of the worst was on his face and his left eye seemed to have been permanently closed. Callum couldn't help put take pride in it, he knew his girl wouldn't go down without putting up a good fight. "Perhaps it was wise of us to listen to Amer this time. At least the tip payed off."

"Amer?" Callum asked.

"We used to be open to your kind, human." The scarred one snarled. "And you repay us by resurrecting the darkest stain on elven history and allowing dark mages into our home." Callum listened intently, hearing the jeers and hisses of the surrounding elves. "The others didn't think revenge was wise, the fools actually thought that things would just sort themselves out if we let the Dragon Queen handle it. She responds by giving you a home in our lands. And so, we left. We started a new way of life, to insure we'd never be attacked again."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Callum asked.

"You need to know what you've done." He said. "We won't kill you ourselves. We decided it would be a more fitting fate to remain trapped in the dark, knowing only you are to blame, succumbing to starvation, madness or whatever gets you first. A slow, torturous end."

From the astral plane, a very displeased Startouch elf watched; how in the world was he to convince Callum of anything if the boy fell pray to someone else entirely? It was very irritating.

"Dividere terra." The elf spoke, drawing a rune. The other elves scattered as the ground began shaking and a huge fissure opened up beneath Callum, too fast for him to even stand up. Callum yelled, holding Rayla tight as they fell.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** 'Dividere terra' is Latin for 'split ground'. One of the best parts of these old languages is figuring out where our own langue comes from, it's really fascinating. Oh yeah, what's gonna happen!? I will say one thing; we will meet another archdragon and there's also a super unexpected surprise! Wait, that's two things. Review.


	24. Rex Igneous

**Chapter Twenty-four: Rex Igneous**

Everything was black. Having fallen on his arm, the pain had returned full force as Callum raised himself up; Rayla was still in his arms. He looked up, seeing that the entrance had been sealed back up. He drew a rune and spoke. "Lux Perpetua". The area lite up.

It looked like they had fallen through a cave ceiling. The cavern was vast, and the air smelt strongly of earth. Before getting up, Callum shook Rayla awake. Her eyes opened slowly, and she moaned as she woke up.

"What happened?" she asked groggily.

"Those elves did a spell to make the ground open up and we fell in." Callum told her, and he explained what the elf had told him, about how they're old home was attacked by Viren, Claudia and Aaravos, about how they were determined that it would not happen again and that Amer somehow had something to do with this. At the end of this, Rayla looked downcast.

"They've got my swords, Callum." She said. Callum didn't need to be told what this meant; a Moonshadow elf's weapon was their lifeline, to the point where warriors would carefully chose the fate of the weapon should they fall in battle or on a mission. He got to his feet and helped Rayla up.

"Don't worry, we'll get them back." He promised. "But first we need to get out of here."

* * *

Tomin felt proud having disposed of the human and human lover. There was no way they'd live, and the human would wallow in its guilt, or what guilt it was capable of feeling, knowing that its fate was its own fault. He barely even cared that that Moonshadow elf had cost him his eye, she would parish along with him. Ideally a little after him so she could endure the loss of one so precious that it drives her to murder her own kind. That was what Amer had said had happened, why those two Moonshadow elves now traveled with him. That fool had come to them asking for recruits, but thankfully his people were loyal to him and not one soul had even considered it. Tomin was now leading the others back to the village. He felt true fear for the first time since that day when he turned a corner and found Aaravos and his dark mages standing before them.

"You." Tomin said, his one eye stretching in fear. A clattering got Claudia's attention and she was intrigued to see a pair of familiar-looking swords on the ground. Tomin had forgotten them; the Startouch elf, Aaravos…the Aaravos.

Tomin and every one of his followers dropped to the ground in that moment, having not noticed the older dark mage performing some spell. He seemed to grow younger as he absorbed some of the life energy. Claudia took the swords from the ground, wondering what this meant. Was the Moonshadow elf dead? Did the Earthblood elf take her swords as some kind of trophy? Claudia tried to avoid the possibility that Callum had gotten caught up in the fight.

"What now?" Claudia asked, trying and failing to figure out how they retracted as a way to distract herself from the fearsome thought that Callum might have met his end.

"If we don't take care of their nest now, they'll just keep coming. Such things can get rather annoying." The elf said. "Come. Let us take a little detour. Say hello to some locals."

* * *

Without the sun, it was impossible to keep track of time, so neither mage nor elf knew how long they'd been down there. Maybe less then an hour, it felt like. The massive cavern they came to was definitely out of place, being too…clean. The ground was packed down to a level plateau and the walls were perfectly rounded without so much as a ledge popping out. It was simply unnatural. The only thing of note on the wall was a huge tunnel leading to blackness.

"Whoa." Callum exclaimed, the single word coming back in an echo. Rayla laughed, this also returning in the form of an echo. This causes them both to laugh, the noise filling the huge room until a louder rumbling drowned it out, accompanied by shaking. When the shaking became too violent to stand, they fell and held onto each other for what little security it offered.

A loud moaning sound from came from the tunnel, like someone awoken from a deep, comfortable sleep, along with the sound of ground shifting, chased by a massive yawn. The tremors continued, now much smaller and in short busts, Callum and Rayla rose to their feet, their eyes trained on the tunnel. The figure that emerged was immense.

It was unlike any other dragon either Callum and Rayla had ever seen. The stone-colored face and claws were plainly dragon, but the snout was flanked by spikes that passed the nose, possibly used for digging, their seemed to be slabs of thick rock going down his neck in place of a mane, and a closer look revealed his wings were bat-like and attached to his front legs. The to smaller beings were too amazed to bow.

The dragon took a deep inhale and looked at them with small, golden eyes. His voice was old and gravelly. "What's all the noise?"

"Rex Igneous." Rayla whispered. Callum looked surprised. Rayla had told him about Rex Igneous, but he never thought he'd live to see him with his own eyes.

Rex Igneous growled. "Why is it one can't have a mere century of uninterrupted sleep?" Before either could think to answer, Rex Igneous raised a paw and brought it down with such massive force that it created a shockwave powerful enough to send Callum and Rayla flying. Above the cratering of stones and rush of wind, they could hear the words; "As punishment for this disturbance, you will parish down here. Now no more intrusions."

* * *

Above ground, a sharp but brief tremor caused Viren and the others to pause in their travels for a moment.

"What was that?" Claudia asked after the tremor calmed down.

"Rex Igneous has awoken." Aaravos said. This made him uneasy; the old dragon wasn't friendly when woken up. Stil, he and the humans carried on without a word.

* * *

"Rayla!" Callum called even before he got up. He hoisted himself up, his left arm in agony. At this rate, it would never heal. Noticing the light was dimming, he quickly recast the light spell, and the light returned full force.

"Callum." Her voice was quiet, though more from a daze then any injury. When they spotted each other, they stood and struggled to make the short ways to each other; the ground underfoot was now freshly upturned soil, not the most reliable surface. They practically collapsed into each other, both covered in dirt and small rocks. Callum fell onto his back in the soft soil, Rayla laying on top of him. They spent a few minutes laying there, letting themselves get their breath back.

"So that was Rex Igneous?" Callum asked.

"Oldest living thing in Xadia." Rayla confirmed.

"I'm sensing a pattern. Dragons like their sleep, don't they?"

"The older ones do, at least." Rayla said, getting up. Callum followed and they brushed themselves off. As he looked himself over, a purple glow got his attention. He pulled the Key of Aaravos out of his bag, and he and Rayla were surprised to see the star rune glowing.

"The star rune?" Callum questioned. "What's it reacting to?"

"Is it…is it broken?" Rayla asked.

Callum pulled the cube to himself, seeing the star rune dim down and the sky, moon and sun runes light up. The moon rune remained when he held it close to Rayla, and when he held it away from them, the moon went dim and the star rune again lite up. Callum and Rayla exchanged a puzzled look.

"Well, it looked like now we at least have a direction to go in." Callum said and Rayla took his hand as they started down another tunnel of upturned earth, following the light.

* * *

Ezran, Amaya, Gren, Zephyr, and Lain watched the pseudo-sparring match. Pseudo because Soren was trying and failing hard to get the hang of Lain's weapon, which he had loaned the boy for this purpose. Lain was worried more about Tiadrin, even being early along as she was, although she insisted, she was fine with a simple sparring match.

Lain was the only one not laughing at Soren's failures. It seemed he was unable to hold two instructions in his mind at once, for whenever he remembered how to activate the whip, he forgot to keep his stance loose. Humans were too rigid in their battle stances, most kinds of elves preferred to remain relaxed so they could jump into the action needed at the last moment; a rigid stance made it difficult to leap away, grab a weapon or rush your foe. The only two sorts of elves that shared the humans' stubborn stances were the Sunfire elves and the Earthblood elves.

Still, in another sense, Soren's stubbornness was to be admired. That stubbornness was what caused him to keep getting up whenever he fell down. Really, he would have been a valuable asset to the Dragonguard; he would have surely been more loyal then the rest of the old guard had been. Some days it was hard to believe he was really the son of that cruel dark mage who had caused so much heartbreak. For her part, Tiadrin was simply knocking him down again and again, doing nothing to actually hurt them; it was a standard method for training small children.

Soren got up again and again without a word. He knew he'd get this eventually if he kept at it, that's how it had always worked before. Something he couldn't help, though, was the feeling of guilt he'd felt. Before his accident a few years ago, he had been so naïve, almost arrogant and had taken an almost childish delight in knocking Callum down and taunting him. He felt ashamed of his past actions, even if Callum had insisted that it was in the past. Tiadrin, thankfully, didn't seem so immature and even praised him for the rare clever move he made.

Soren was brushing himself off when he happened to look southward. He saw a plume of black smoke rising from the mountains in the distance. Seeing his distraction, the others looked to the mountain range. Odd. None of them had been told there were active volcanoes in that rang.

* * *

Underground, Callum and Rayla finally zeroed in on a spot; whatever was causing the star rune to glow was under the soft, loose earth.

"You think whatever this is was knocked free from the shockwave?" Callum asked as they knelt down and began digging, Callum holding the key with his left hand and digging with his right.

* * *

In contrast to both of these calmer places, the village of the rogue Earthblood elves was in chaos. No one had been expecting the Startouch elf and the dark mages to return in place of the band who had gone out last night. These elves being itching to fight, they came in a wave of aggression; though they were still no match for the three despite of the weapons they now wielded. Between Viren's combat skills and Aaravos and Claudia's magic, it wasn't instantaneous, though it was very one-sided.

Once the warriors were taken care of, the three split up to search the homes. Viren didn't even try to deny that, at this moment, he greatly preferred Aaravos to Harrow, who hadn't seemed to understand. Aaravos knew; this was war. It was foolish to let so-called innocent beings live, they would seek vengeance sooner or later. This place itself was proof enough of that. That was why even the smallest child couldn't be allowed to live.

As she heard the door being busted open by magic, Tobin's wife had just finished hiding her daughter in a kitchen cupboard, giving the child strict orders to keep silent. Before she could even close the door properly, the feeling of cold metal was piercing her back. Claudia wasn't sure if these were stabbing swords, but that hardly mattered. The mother fell and he daughter held her breath, tears running uncontrollably down her face.

* * *

Callum and Rayla didn't need to dig far, thankfully, before they finally saw something. It looked like a pinkish-purple gem, a large, smooth one. No it was…a dragon egg. It looked a great deal like Zym's egg had, with the same bright colors and the same aura of preciousness. Rayla carefully took the egg and lifted it out of the dirt. She could practically feel the heartbeat of the life within it.

* * *

At the same moment, Claudia was trashing the house looking for the little girl. The child's heart roared like a river in her ears, so loudly that she worried the human would hear it and find her. Fear unlike anything she'd ever experienced before griped her and she clinched her eyes, praying to Garlath to spare her. She'd be good. She would never lie again, she would do as she was told, she would do anything if she was just spared.

Claudia knelt down to open the cabinet and saw nothing. The child flinched when the door was slammed in frustration and the human got up and stalked away. Claudia knew that the leader of the rogues had a child, and if it wasn't here it must have been one of the kids being rounded up outside. Alone in the dark, the footsteps retreated until they were gone, though the little girl still didn't move. She didn't sob. She didn't make a sound.

* * *

"This…doesn't look like an earth dragon egg." Rayla observed.

"So, what's it doing down here, then?" Callum asked. She shrugged.

"I doesn't look like any dragon egg I've ever seen." She said. "Maybe Rex Igneous would know." Callum went pale.

Once again, Callum and Rayla found their way back to the strangely pristine room, the unstable ground wasn't the easiest to navigate, but should one of them drip and drop the egg, at least it was a soft surface. Callum held the strange egg in his hands as Rayla called; "Rex Igneous."

A low growl sounded and the massive head emerged from the darkness once more. "I thought I sent you away, pests." His voice was full of anger and impatience.

"We're sorry for the intrusions, but we need to get back to the surface." Callum said. "This egg can't stay down here."

The old archdragon's irritation fell from his face, his eyes stretching with wonder. "A star dragon egg?" Callum and Rayla exchanged amazed looks. "I can't even remember the last star dragon I've met, but how would one of there eggs get down here?"

"We don't know, mighty one." Rayla said. "But we have to get back up to the surface. The war is over but there is unrest among Xadians. If not for that, then for this egg. It must have been down here for centuries."

Rex Igneous breathed in and nearly blew Callum and Rayla down with the sharp exhale. "Very well, you may leave, under one condition."

"What's that?" Callum asked. Discontent reappeared on the archdragon's face.

"I am never, ever to see your faces again." Rex Igneous emerged fully from his cave, revealing his massive self, far bigger than any dragon any other living soul had seen.

He rose onto his hind legs and punctured the ceiling with the shovel-like horns on either side of his mouth, allowing sunlight through. He then lowered himself for Callum and Rayla to board his massive snout, raised them back up and allowing them to crawl out of the holes, back onto the surface world. He willed the displaced dirt to collapse and compact – as was a perk of such powerful primal magic – sealing the holes and once again leaving the old thing to his solitude.

Callum and Rayla were covered in dirt, though they didn't have time to poke fun at this when they saw that they had emerged in the middle of utter devastation.

It was the strange settlement that Callum had glimpsed a month before when scouting the mountains from above. Now it was littered with freshly dead bodies, the doors leading to homes that had clearly been ransacked. The perpetrators had fled, it seemed, they were alone. Callum and Rayla were silent as they entered the largest house, probably the leader's home. They wandered around, looking for Rayla's swords, unaware that they had changed hands and were no longer in the village.

"Callum!" Callum jumped at Rayla's sudden shout and came running from a bedroom to the kitchen. He was about to ask if she had found them but stopped short. In her arms was a small child, unconscious and with a tearstained face.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Rex Igneous is a cranky boy, isn't he? "Lux Perpetua" means "Lasting Light". And who was expecting a new egg? Also, I didn't pull that 'Claudia didn't see her' thing out of my butt, I do have an explanation for it. On a more serious note, I've noticed reviews are starting to really slow down. Ordinarily, this wouldn't bug me, but with the virus apparently getting worse, I'm starting to get worried about you guys. Is everyone okay? Review.


	25. Broken Hearts

**Chapter Twenty-five: Broken Hearts**

The next hour or so was spent going through the motions of self-care. Rayla volunteered to wash first under the logic that, if the child awoke later, she'd probably be more receptive to a fellow elf then a human, if that other elf's words had been true. All it was was a quick rinse of dirt and sweat. All the same, she was clean enough within ten minutes that getting back into her dirty cloths felt gross. Callum's turn in the washroom was much the same, though Rayla spent that time raiding the kitchen for something to eat. She found a loaf of bread and one of those soups that stayed hot for hours after being taken off the stove. It was still warm.

When Callum emerged from the washroom, he was practically giddy at the smell of the food, though Rayla demanded that he allow her to check on his arm first. She removed the filthy old bandage to wash his upper arm for him, paying attention to the wound which was already closing up nicely. His arm would probably be good as new in a couple of days, which she told him as she dried the now clean arm and rewrapped a new, clean bandage over it. Finally, they entered the kitchen. There were three bowls of soup with sides of the bread, three seats set for both of them, and for the child when she awoke.

Hunger hit the pair like a boulder. In all the trouble today had brought, Callum and Rayla hadn't noticed; they had gone the full day without any food. The first bowls and pieces of bread were eaten in silence because they were focusing so much on filling their stomachs. The second bowls and last of the bread were eaten slower; savored. The bread was sprinkled with flavorful seeds and the soup included carrots, potatoes and some kind of soft, green stalk. The meal was delicious, though they dutifully left the third bowl and last bit of bread for the child.

"Any change?" Callum asked.

"She hasn't woken up." Rayla told him. "She started stirring after the first few minutes, so she'll probably be okay. What about you, any luck?"

"No. There are no others who survived the attack." Callum reported. While Rayla had been washing, he had checked around and it was true; this little girl was the last of this village. They had also undertaken the gruesome task of taking her mother's body and moving it to what they presumed to be her and her husband's bedroom, just to have her out of the kitchen. "What do we do?"

"We can't just keep her with us while you master the rest of the arcanums." Rayla said. "Maybe we should take a little break from it. We can take her back to Novus, find a home for her there."

"It would have to be quick." Callum said. He looked at his bag, which now also held a large pinkish-purple dragon egg, also apparently the last of its kind. "Looks like the trip'll be for both of them."

"It's been a long day." Rayla said. "Wanna stay here tonight and we can start fresh for tomorrow?"

"Sounds good." Callum said and the pair finished their food. Indeed, their full stomachs paired with how busy the day had been, Callum and Rayla were both feeling tired. They rose and went to go find a place to sleep.

The homes of these elves were subterranean houses. The large burrow-like holes behind the doors opened up to furnished foyers, kitchens, sitting rooms and the like. An unsettling thing about them was how weapons were available to be grabbed from every room, especially in this particular house which seemed bare-bones for comfort but had walls of weapons. Even going into the little girl's room; instead of the toys, drawings and games one would expect to be piled up in her room, there were smaller, blunt versions of weapons. That didn't seem right at all.

Eventually, Callum and Rayla snuggled up together on a hard couch. Not exactly the peak of comfort, but better then another freezing night outside. That probably meant they would need to venture into towns for nights after all, with the child and egg in tow. After gathering some blankets and snuggling up, they drifted off quickly, thinking how much warmer this place was then outside.

* * *

It must have been the middle of the night when she awoke, her mind blurry except for her growling stomach and that it was cold. She got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen, remembering nothing of the day before. Strange, her parents never just left dinner on the table for her. The bread was still soft, the soup now cold, but she ate anyway; wasting food carried a steep penalty in this house. Maybe she'd ask her parents in the morning, but her stomach was full, and she trudged back to her room, where she happily slipped under her covers and returned to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Callum awoke slowly. Aside from a small kiss to her forehead, he was sure to untangled himself from Rayla carefully. He tried to ignore the rush of chilled air that met him as he left the warmth of the blanket. This place had no windows, the rooms were lite by magic, so Callum went to the door and opened it. He immediately regretted this, as icy wind shocked him. The sun was just rising and there had been a frost in the night. He quickly closed the door, sealing the cold out.

Callum poked his head into the smallest bedroom to check on the child, who was still sleeping. She was a small thing, maybe four or five years old, with dusty brown hair and pale skin with green swirling patterns under her eyes. He couldn't help but smile when he saw how stick-like her horns were and they had yet to develop the branches he'd seen on others of her kind. It seemed she had tossed and turned in her sleep because her blanket was thrown off her and she was now trembling in the cold. Callum gently took the blanket and covered her back up, which quelled her trembling and had her press deeper into the warmth. When she awoke, all she heard was someone closing her door.

Callum returned to Rayla, who was braving the chilly air to stretch. "Morning."

"Morning." Callum returned as he sat beside her. "We're probably staying here for a little while longer. There was a frost last night, it's freezing out there."

"Just as well." Rayla said. Before she could continue, a rush of stomps came towards them. They looked to see the little girl, her green eyes wide with shock and fear. Callum and Rayla just stared at the child for a moment before she ran back down the hall to the bedroom. They pursued her into the master bedroom, and she let out a gasp when she saw her mother laying in the bed, not even breathing.

Watching the little one climb up onto the bed and trying to wake her mother, Callum's heart ached for her; he'd never forget the last time his mother had held him, promising she'd be back in a few days. He hadn't been allowed to see her then, nor King Harrow following his death – this must have been torture for the little girl trying and failing to wake her mother. She was starting to sob. Rayla took Callum's hand and leaned into him; a gesture of comfort which he accepted. He imagined the sorrow must have been plain on his face.

"It's okay." She whispered, giving his cheek a tender kiss. This seemed to break the girl out of her grieving, and she looked at them again with eyes that were wild with fear. She fell back on her butt and attempted to scoot away backwards, not getting far before she fell off of the bed with a thump.

She got back up and ran over to a wall opposite the bed, which held two swords ready to grab. She grabbed one, pulling it down off of the wall where it clattered to the ground. Nevertheless, she grabbed the thing and struggled to drag it behind her; even Callum could plainly see it was ten times too big for her small hands. She looked at them furiously with tears still falling. The elder two just looked at her with pity.

"Careful there." Callum said. "You're going to hurt yourself if you keep dragging that big thing around." Even though she was enraged at the nerve of this human, she let the sword drop, realizing she'd never be able to wield it. Instead she settled for running to the human and pounding her tiny fists on his leg. Being so small, it wasn't long before she ran out of steam, her eyes also running out of tears. She just let her fist drop to her sides, scrambled back onto the bed and continued to watch over her mother's body.

Callum and Rayla looked at each other at this; their hearts broke for the poor thing. "Wanna just give her a little while?" Rayla asked. Callum nodded and led to her the kitchen for food. Maybe they could find something that they could take with them in their travels. Seeing as it looked like they'd have a third – and possibly forth, at some point – mouth to now feed, it seemed like a good idea.

* * *

Ibis had always enjoyed the brisk morning air of late autumn, to the confusion of even his fellow Skywing elves. He himself couldn't really explain it, he just liked the bracing cold giving way to warmth. It was simply invigorating.

He was breathing in the cold air as he flew a fair distance from the Storm Spire. Several miles from the mountain rang, there was a small grove. When he saw three figures, he dove down to the grove, taking rest in a high branch of the largest, sturdiest of the trees, where he was concealed from sight. While they were certainly older, he recognized Viren and Claudia from the Battle of the Storm Spire. That must have made the third figure Aaravos. His heart leapt into his throat and his instinct was to take flight and get away, but he resisted. The one thing that distracted from this horror was enough to dull his brain for a moment. Claudia was holding a pair of familiar butterfly swords.

Ibis had to fight the bile that rose into his throat. It…couldn't be. The only way Rayla would lose her swords would be…and if that happened, then did that mean that Callum was also? But looking at those swords, there was no denying; those were Rayla's, beyond a doubt. Seeing the end of one dark with dried blood only made it worse. It took a moment for Ibis to realize he was terrified. He was a very calm, go-with-the-flow sort of man, and there wasn't much that caught him off guard, but…he had trained several sky mages over his life, and each had become dear to him over the training; in fact his wife, Garlath bless her sweet heart, had been his first apprentice. Callum was no different, a very dear friend who he could take pride in, practically a second son.

It was only by a stroke of luck that Ibis wasn't seen flying as fast as he could back to Novus. For the first time in decades, the mage felt tears pricking at his eyes before being torn away in the wind. If only the same would happen to the heavy feeling in his heart. How was he going to break the news to their families? They had all already lost so much.

* * *

They had agreed that the child would react better to Rayla; she had already demonstrated her distrust in humans, which was almost understandable if she was raised by those embittered elves. That would need to be worked on, so before heading to Novus, they had a small detour planned. As Callum gathered up their stuff, Rayla entered the bedroom tentatively with the egg, where the little girl still was, looking like she hadn't moved at all. She sat beside her on the bed.

"I'm sorry that this happened, little one." She tried, and the child made no indication that she heard her. "My name is Rayla, and my friend's name is Callum. What's yours?" Silence. After a moment, Rayla reluctantly continued. "I know what they must have taught you here, but Callum is a very nice human. Most humans are nice. We don't know what happened here, but there is no one left in this village. We've looked everywhere."

Finally, the little girl looked at her in surprise. Her eyes were pleading. At least, Rayla thought, she now knew she could hear her. Part of her wondered if she was being too blunt, but the last time she'd attempted to sugarcoat death to a child, she'd gotten herself yelled at. Of course, this child seemed much younger than Ezran had been when he'd learned of his father's death. The child's eyes widened with wonder as Rayla presented the star dragon egg while she had her attention.

"We found this underground, it's a bit of a long story." The older elf explained. "All in due time, I suppose. What you need to know right now is that we need to get it to a safe place, and we also have that same responsibility to you now that we've found you." Rayla sat, waiting for any kind of indication. "I'm sorry, little one, but there's nothing left here. We can take you to a new town and get you a new family. One that will be safe from whatever did this. We could certainly use an extra pair of hands to take care of the egg.

The child looked from Rayla to the egg. Even if she was in a position to talk, her young brain wouldn't be able to articulate everything she felt. The little girl looked at her mother once more, leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek, then hopped off of the bed to finally leave the room.

Rayla found Callum waiting in the sitting room.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"I really don't know." Rayla admitted, placing the egg carefully back in the satchel. Callum had found a second satchel, this one with a button flap, which was now full of breads, jars of preservatives and bottles of juice. "She won't speak. I don't blame her after what she must have gone through, but it would be nice if I got a yes or a no."

The little girl appeared in the doorway, carrying her own small bag, with one of her miniature weapons sticking out of it. Her eyes hardened a bit when she looked at Callum, but otherwise she appeared resigned to this new lot in life. When Callum moved to get up, Rayla followed, the child allowing her to take her hand as she was led out of the door, leaving her home for the last time.

The child tried to ignore the carnage that was littered throughout her village. That Moonshadow elf was right; there really wasn't anyone left. So, as they left her village, or the remains of it, she supposed she'd really have to go with them to this new home. As long as that human didn't try anything sneaky and bad.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I'm glad to see at least some of you guys are okay. ^-^ Next time, who's ready for some adoraburrs? Or some more pre-teen angst from Ez, poor kid is having a bit of a rough time at the moment. Personally, I don't consider it out of character because it's pretty normal for cute, happy little sunshines of kids to become moody little butts when they hit puberty. Don't worry, though, kid's just going through the motions, he'll get better. Review.


	26. A Little Miracle

**Chapter Twenty-six: A Little Miracle**

"No! Absolutely not!" Gren's voice was firm, but he avoided yelling despite the furious look on Amaya's face. There was no doubt that if the woman could speak for herself, she would be yelling.

"I have to come." Ezran argued, unflinching in the face of her anger – a feat not many could claim to have done. "He was my brother."

Soren was settling up the last of four horses, his face unusually serious. He tried to ignore the feeling of familiarity; Ezran reminded him so much of the way Callum had been years ago. He knew deep down that there wasn't much he would be able to do, but he was willing to ride into danger for his family. It was admirable, but very foolish, of both of them. After a moment he realized, Ezran was nearing the same age Callum had been then. Maybe he'd find that amusing when this was all over. For now, all he needed to know for the moment was that they needed to find Viren or Claudia at least, and make them pay.

Along with them, Lain would be coming on his own insistence. He had looked at the horse designated for him in an odd way; his mount of choice had always been a moonstrider and he hoped these beasts weren't that different. He gave a tender kiss to his wife's forehead. Their argument had been quicker; her wishing to come on the grounds that it was her daughter, too, who had been slain, and who's memory that young dark mage was now disrespecting by wielding her swords. Lain had quickly shot her down with the observation that their second child needed her more and that they had no idea how long they would be away, and she had relented to this quietly. His hands covered hers, which were cradling the barely-there bulge that was growing in her stomach.

"Ezran, I've lost your mother, your father and now your brother." Gren translated, Amaya's eyes narrowing to avoid the buildup of tears she felt just from this recount. "I'm not going to even risk losing you, too. You will be staying back here where it's safe."

"I'll watch him while you're gone." Tiadrin stepped up, and Amaya nodded.

"Wait!" Out of seemingly nowhere, Zephyr ran up to them. Ibis was walking slowly, but he was clearly following her. Her eyes were red and puffy as though she'd been crying, and Ibis's mood hadn't lifted at all. Oh yes, that's right, she, Callum and Rayla had been friends. Soren payed her full attention, but before he could say anything, she tackled him. His eyes stretched wide when her lips pressed against his. This was seen by all of them, though truth be told, the spectators were all too emotionally numb to react to this. Soren's heart, though, raced in his chest as she broke away. "For luck. You guys have to come back."

Soren was frozen for a moment before his expression hardened in determination. He took her hands, which he assumed was okay. As deliriously happy as this made him, in the month that they knew and spent time with each other, he and Zephyr had never really sat down and defined what they were. But by the way she was looking at him now, it looked like she would be ready to talk when he got home. All the more reason to make sure he returned. "We will, I promise."

Soren almost didn't want to go, but he had to. Zephyr walked back to join her father, Tiadrin and Ezran, her eyes not leaving Soren as he mounted his horse, along with the other three. With one last cluster of goodbyes and wishes of luck, the four set off, the horses moving like a mighty force of nature.

* * *

It seemed that luck was on Callum and Rayla's side because so far, they had been undisturbed in their little side journey. They'd made it out of the mountains without much trouble, just with the hiccup of coming across the bodies of Rayla's former captors. Amazingly, the child only turned away to avoid looking at it and took Rayla's hand. Such a brave child. All it took was a quick look-over to see that her swords weren't here - he'd lost them, probably to whatever had done this.

Now they were taking a break just outside the mountain rang. Seeing the wide sprawl of the land, the little girl was amazed; she had spent her whole life surrounded by mountains. It accorded to Callum and Rayla that she had probably never seen miles of outstretched land before. Seeing it for themselves, though, they saw that it was a long way to their destination.

"I think, we should try the mage wings." Callum said, gaining Rayla's attention.

"Are you sure your arm's up for it?" she asked. The child, meanwhile, was still looking at her new surroundings in amazement.

"It won't even be that high up." He promised. "A few feet off of the ground at least. Can risk either of our new passengers falling." Hearing this, the little girl snapped back to reality. Was the human threatening her?

"Promise?" She looked skeptical, but he could see the worry in her eyes. Rather then a verbal response, he gave her a small kiss, assuring that even if his arm was still too hurt to fly, no harm would come to any of them. Neither took it personally when the child made a face at this; with how young she seemed to be, it was possible she was still repulsed by the idea of romance in general.

As Rayla secured the satchel that held the egg, Callum reached a hand toward the girl. Seeing the human reaching for her, she panicked and smacked his hands away. He took a step back and tried to look none-threatening, but she still scowled up at him. Oh well, he wouldn't be able to hold her while flying anyway. Taking a few more steps back, Callum spread his arms out. Rayla smiled and watched the girl's reaction as the words were spoken and the wings appeared, shredding the bandage.

The girl was stunned, allowing Rayla to easily pick her up and secure her. "Hold on tight." She said, gesturing for the girl to lock her arms tightly around her neck, which she did. To the girl's displeasure, she found herself sandwiched between the Moonshadow elf and the human when the elf locked her arms around his neck. He began flying before she could wiggle herself free. It wasn't very high; she could probably jump down and hope to live, but it was too fast to try, and she clung to the older elf for dear life.

The low flight took about an hour and Callum lowered himself slowly, but they had come to the very outskirts of the forest. Callum tried to hide his exhaustion as his wings dissolved back into his arms; the former arrow wound had healed in a surprisingly short time, leaving just a tiny scar.

Rayla let go of him and had to pry the child off of her; her arms were clinched as tightly as her eyes. She only opened them when Rayla took her hand, gently pushed her down into a crouch and placed her hand in the grass. The girl opened her eyes let out a sigh of relief, glad to be back on the ground.

The little girl allowed Rayla to take her hand and lead her though the forest, the human making sure to keep to the opposite side of the Moonshadow elf. The little girl looked around in wonder. Like the open field before this, she had never seen a forest before. The ground covered in grass, huge trees reaching for the sky and teeming with life. Callum and Rayla smiled at the stunned fascination she had with everything, Callum remembering his own uncontrollable excitement in coming here for the first time. The walk was peaceful, almost relaxing.

The sun was dipping into the trees when they finally made it to the meadow. At some point, Rayla had begun carrying the girl when she got tired; she had expressed this by plopping herself where she stood and refusing to get back up.

The three walked through the long grass to the stone that loomed just over the top of the grass. Callum climbed onto the rock to oversee things, Rayla only joining him after giving the little girl the rein to wander this by herself, so long as she didn't go too far.

The little girl crept slowly at first, constantly looking back at the Moonshadow elf and the human to see them keeping watch over her, before carrying on with her exploration. This was all so new; her parents rarely let her explore a place by herself. The Moonshadow elf reminded her of her mother, having kept her within arms reach at all times, until now. This must have been a safe place. The human, on the other hand, couldn't be more different from her father. Her father hadn't been a warm man, even she knew that, and usually ignored her unless it was something about training, but deep down she felt the love he had for her and her mother. This human had made a couple of attempts to get close to her, no doubt to trick her before he killed her. All of the older kids back home always said humans would do that.

The girl put her parents out of her mind. She had resolved this morning upon finding her mother, and again after coming across her father, to force herself to forget them; there was no use in remembering. She knew this strange duo of adults were taking her to a new family, or at least they claimed so. She'd have to forget the life she had before; her parents, her home, her friends, maybe even her name if her new family wanted her to have a new name.

A sharp lurch interrupted the girl's musings and she found herself on the ground, in the grass. She'd tripped over a rock. She could hear the laughter of the grown-ups, somehow more gleeful than mocking. She rose to her feet, feeling something in her hair.

Callum and Rayla's laughter grew, seeing the girl emerge from the grass now with four adoraburrs in her hair, and a fifth on perched happily on one of her horns. She looked perplexed for a moment before noticing something on her head and looked mystified to pull one of them out of her hair. She gave a startled yip as it squeaked at her. She couldn't help the smile that came to her face – her first in days – somehow these little things seemed to chase away all of the stress of the day. When she ducked back down into the grass, she was delighted to see more that stuck to her clothes and hair. A burst of laughter escaped from her mouth.

Callum and Rayla continued to watch her. Well, Rayla watched her, Callum had taken out his sketchbook and began drawing this sweet little scene, partly just in case they wouldn't have the opportunity for play in the next weeks. Rayla smiled as she cuddled up to Callum.

"This was a good idea, Callum." She said.

"Thanks." He replied. "Ibis knows a couple of things about this kind of stuff. He says he needed to help his kids move passed their mom's death. Apparently, getting a kid to play or something gives them a distraction and helps them figure out that life goes on. Something about letting their brains rest for a little while, which'll make it easier to process what happened, and that'll help them heal."

"Ibis is a wise man." Rayla said and continued to watch the little girl. "So, are we flying home, then?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." He said. "It took a lot out of me to get here. My arm's doing better, but I think the mage wings need a little bit more healing to be used in any meaningful way."

"It'll take a while to get home from here on foot." Rayla turned back to the child, who was still playing. "We can't just keep calling her 'little one'."

"Any ideas?" Callum asked.

"There's an old elven name, Mira." Rayla told him. "It means 'a little miracle'."

"That's…that's really pretty." Callum said, and looked up from his drawing to see the child still playing. Far from the reserved, distrusting child they had met this morning, she was smiling wildly and laughing as she tried covering herself in as many adoraburrs as she could, at one point having her horns completely hidden. Being the sole survivor of a village-wide massacre, perhaps the child was a little miracle. Callum smiled warmly at the scene before he returned to his drawing. "So, any idea of what to do with that egg? The star dragons are gone, right?"

Rayla opened the bag to look at the purplish-pink egg. It now gave the same glow that Zym's egg once had, the glow of a life. "I guess the only thing we can do is take it back to Queen Zubeia. If nothing else, she'll probably know how to take care of it, especially if it hatches before then."

"How do star dragon eggs hatch?" Callum asked. Rayla just shrugged and Callum looked up at the sky. It was starting to get dark. The child yawned as the adoraburrs began to disperse for the night, a couple staying in her hair. Rayla leapt from the rock, went over and picked her up. She carried her over to the rock where Callum was settling and slid next to him. He performed the warmth spell, and the child was amazed at the rush of warmth that enveloped her. It was soothing. Still, she started squirming when Rayla tried to set her beside Callum, so she was forced to place her on her other side, away from Callum. The older pair looked at one another sadly; it seemed she still didn't trust Callum, even after today. He would just have to content himself with keeping the egg warm.

"Little one," Rayla started, her arm around the child. "We've thought of a name for you. How do you feel about Mira? It means 'a little miracle'. Callum and I think it fits you pretty well." The half-asleep child nodded her approval of this new name and contemplated it as she drifted off. A little miracle…

* * *

Claudia winced under the glares she was receiving. More so her father then Aaravos. They had just returned from the astral plain where they had seen the three in the meadow, the little girl in particular. The Startouch elf looked displeased, but far more mild then the fury in her father's eyes.

"I-I don't know what happened!" she tried to say, feeling a fear she hadn't felt since she was a small child.

"Claudia, do you have any idea what you've done?" Viren asked, his voice full of the scorn that had usually be revered for Soren. This realization only made her feel worse. "That elf is going to grow up knowing what we did, and it won't let us live! That's why they couldn't be allowed to live, none of them!"

"I'll fix it!" she promised quickly, a sort of primitive fear building up in her stomach. "We'll find them, and I'll fix it, I swear!"

"No." Aaravos said. "We have plenty of time before that child is even old enough to hold a sword. We'll do what must be done before next summer. One child will be of no danger to us. That star dragon egg, on the other hand…"

* * *

Ezran didn't know how he could be expected to sleep. His brother was gone, and now his aunt, the only family he had left, was marching off into danger. He didn't have as much experience with Aaravos as Callum had, but he knew for a fact that Claudia wasn't to be trusted, and Viren was downright evil. And now they'd killed Callum and Rayla.

Ezran got up and out of bed. He wasn't going to lay in bed while his brother's murderers walked free. He dressed warm, packed a bag of warmer cloths, grabbed a surprised Bait from his bed and gently opened the door to his room.

Tiadrin had agreed to stay at Amaya's place, probably to make things easier on Ezran. While he supposed he appreciated the gesture, it was an unwelcome one. He was older now. He'd traveled Xadia, fought in a war and led a kingdom, and everyone still thought he was some fragile child? It was insulting, he'd done more in the past three years then most adults have done. And he wasn't going to let the last of his family go on a suicide mission. After stopping in the kitchen to stock up on food and drink, he silently left the house, braving the cold. Bait wined at the cold air, but Ezran didn't seem to hear.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The name Mira (in this case, pronounced the same as in its fake origin, miracle) is a name in several languages, but doesn't actually mean 'a little miracle' in any of them. I just thought of it myself and thought it sounded like a pretty name with an absolutely precious fake meaning. Also, I looked it up; A properly cleaned arrow wound can heal in as little as two days. Who knew, right? Review.


	27. Aviana

**Chapter Twenty-seven: Aviana**

Ezran had come across a unicorn, who had offered his assistance to the boy. All week, Scintillam had been proving the legends about unicorns being good luck, they were very true. So far, there was no danger and they had always found food, water and shelter when they needed to. Scintillam had agreed to help Ezran for two reasons; first, one of the dark mages that Ezran had described bore a resemblance to another dark mage who had hunted and slain one of his brethren years ago. The second was that on the first day, Ezran and Bait had stopped for lunch; apple butter on bead. He didn't know if all unicorns liked apple butter, but Scintillam liked it quite a lot. Ezran trusted the unicorn's luck to get him to where he needed to be.

* * *

There was snow on the ground now, a fresh warmth spell being the only thing that kept the three from freezing. Callum recognized the immense tree trunks that he knew marked Aviana. Some of the trees had strange stone-like protrusions that formed stairs, with rails built into them, wrapping around the trunks and going up to the tree-tops. Looking up so far she nearly fell backwards, Mira could just make out strange, thick lines connecting the trees, and the stairs led to what looked like floors built around the trees. Callum and Rayla led her up one of the massive trunks, Callum telling Mira that he had been here many times before and they needed to see someone. It seemed that the trees weren't as high up as they looked, because it didn't take very long to reach the tops of the stairs. Mira looked around in wonder.

"Mira," Callum said, smiling widely. "Welcome to Aviana."

There were floors built around the tops of the trees, which were now so close, a child lifted up by an adult could just touch the lowest branches, which would be covered in leaves in spring or summer. Callum would have tried it with Mira if he didn't know he'd probably be kicked in the face. Each floor was connected to others by large, sturdy bridges with rails, made from logs, woven sticks and vines. Each tree was hallowed out in arching doors leading to homes, shops and the like built right into the trunks, and there were dozens upon dozens of these structures at the very least. Skywing elves of every color the sky can be, some with wings, were going back and forth on the bridges, talking and bartering around them. Sunlight filtered through the bare branches, casting broad shadows here and there.

"This is amazing." Rayla said.

"Come on, there's someone we need to see." Callum said, beckoning the girls down one bridge.

* * *

Aaravos didn't need the Nexus' per say, just the ability to harness the strongest sources of primal magic, which just happened to be where the strongest sources were at the most opportune times. That or take even longer tracking down primal stones. The last two primal sources, star and sky, would need to be a waiting game. He said as much to Viren and Claudia.

"The sky primal will be the most difficult to achieve and will need to wait for spring unless we can find a primal stone." He said.

"Does the Sky Nexus change like the Ocean Nexus does?" Claudia asked.

"The Storm Spire is the Sky Nexus." He said and held an expression similar to the one he had when recounting his imprisonment to Viren before the Battle of the Storm Spire. "It's clearly protected by Zubeia and her Dragonguard. In any case, the best time to harness the power is during a thunderstorm, not a snowstorm. We'll have to wait for spring regardless of anything. The star magic will only need to wait for a new moon, when the starlight reigns the night sky." Aaravos turned to Viren. "What is tonight's moon phase?"

"Waning." Viren reported. "It will probably be a week more before the new moon."

"Then we also have a debt line for that egg." Aaravos said. Before either human could ask, Aaravos explained. "Every kind of dragon egg will only hatch under specific conditions. Sky dragon eggs only hatch in storms, ocean dragons hatch underwater, earth dragons underground, and so on. Star dragon eggs can only hatch on a clear night under a new moon. Assuming the weather is favorable, that egg will hatch."

"So, it'll be harder to retrieve a baby dragon than an egg." Claudia said. Aaravos nodded. "But what exactly is that debt line?"

Aaravos didn't speak for a while. "I believe it is time to allow the two of you to accompany me on my little talks with our dear friend, Callum."

* * *

Despite the coolness outside, the inside of the house was warm. Mira was looking out a window, where outside in a neighboring tree, a mated pair of Xadian songbirds were building a nest. Though the eggs weren't typically laid until spring, the nests were built in the fall to allow bonding between the parents over the winter; Xadian songbirds did mate for life, after all. This was all told to her by Kit, an older Skywing elf boy, maybe ten or eleven, as they munched on the cloud cakes his mother had made. Mira had never tasted anything so delicious; even the frosting was light and airy.

In another room, Callum and Rayla were sharing tea with Kit's parents. Wendell bore a certain resemblance to his father, Ibis, save for the stormy gray eyes and the bi-colored black and blue hair, which was so perfectly divided that there was no telling if his hair was black with blue streaks or blue with black streaks. His wife, Kara's hair was the white of a dove, her complexion was an eggshell-color and her eyes were yellow. Kit shared his mother's skin tone, getting this hair and eye color from Wendell. They had come to Wendell because he was a healer.

"And that's why we came to you." Callum concluded, topping off his account of the last few days.

"Well, you did the right thing taking her to that meadow." Wendell said. "It looks like it helped calm her down. And she's responding to the new name alright?"

"Yep." Callum said, and his face fell. "It's been a week since then, but she still fights me when I try to pick her up or talk to her. She always defers to Rayla."

"And she still won't speak?" Wendell asked. Callum and Rayla shook their heads in a negative gesture. "You need to give it time. Don't try to force anything. If you try to force it, you might scare her into a relapse. But you are right; letting Mira feel safe will eventually help her heal. Just continue to protect her, let her know that you only want to keep her safe, and hope that she eventually accepts you as her guardians for the time being. Unfortunately, she's her own person and sounds pretty stubborn despite her young age; if she decides you're still not to trusted, there's only so much you can do."

Callum sighed and looked at the kids in the other room, still preoccupied with the birds. Rayla, Wendell and Kara looked at him sadly. Kara spoke up. "How about you three stay here for the night? You all look like you can use it."

"That would be great." Rayla said. "A warm place to stay for once."

When Kara picked up Mira to take her to the washroom for a bath and Kit wandered off to some other place in the house, Callum took a moment to watch those songbirds. They nuzzled as they completed the nest. The smaller one, the female, was white with light blue streaks through her feathers and… Huh. He could have sworn her mate looked like Pip. As if in acknowledgement of this, the bird in question looked at Callum and sang him a cord that spoke of recognition and greeting.

The rest of the day was spent in comfort. After her bath, Kara and Rayla had taken Mira to a tailor for something sturdier than the leaves which, though durable, were beginning to wither and become brittle in the cold weather. She accepted without a fuss and was allowed to pick the color for herself at Kara's suggestion. She chose a green of a deeper shade then her old cloths had been. Rayla had also purchased a surprise for Callum, a sturdy brown leather capelet with white feathers covering the shoulders. It fit very nicely and, in her opinion, somehow made him more handsome. Mira fell sleep soon after dinner and the others decided to call it and early night – before darkness even began falling – as well. It was bliss to Callum to be able to sleep through the night without waking up every few hours to cast the warmth spell so they wouldn't freeze to death.

* * *

Ezran shivered as the sun began going down. The land had been unchanging for a while now. Suddenly, Scintillam reared onto his hind legs and flailed his hooves. Ezran wasn't sure if he was feeling his own terror or the unicorn's as he was thrown off. He hit the ground in a daze, hearing the sound of retreating hoof beats. Ezrn sat up and rubbed his head hearing three sets of footsteps slowly approaching.

A red light shone before him, accompanied by a growl. It was Bait, trying to scare off whatever threat that cost them Scintillam. He could only regret the loss of the steed for a moment, though, as he beheld the figures. A Sunfire elf and two Moonshadow elves. Unusual grouping. The Moonshadow elves staggered backwards at the sudden burst of light. The Sunfire elf squinted his eyes and looked away for a moment, not quite as effected as his companions. He walked up and kicked the glow toad away, making Bait collide with a bare tree trunk and falling to the ground with a petulant whine.

"Bait!" Ezren shouted before turning back to his assailants and getting to his feet.

"King Ezran of a pile of smoldering rubble." The Sunfire elf greeted smugly. "You've certainly grown since I last saw you."

Ezran was about to ask how he knew him, but the mention of Katolis brought back the memory of that night. And the sniveling, pitiful Sunfire elf who Janai had to be restrained from killing. His aunt had introduced the man as Amer, Janai's brother and the cause of everything that happened. It made Ezran sick to think about.

"Prince Amer." Ezren greeted, managing to swallow his anger and keep civil. "Who are your friends?"

"Sirus and Kiara of the Moonshadow elves." The male Moonshadow elf said, he and the other having recovered from the light. "We're to understand you're the human's brother. The one who has corrupted Rayla and turned her against her own kind."

Ezran rolled his eyes; Rayla had told him about the band of her former friends and what they thought of her. He knew it was pointless to try and defend.

"Have your sights on another elf, human?" Amer taunted. "Gotta carry of the family tradition, right?"

"Sorry to disappoint." Ezran replied with a shrug. For some reason, his mind went to Ellis, though he knew quite well what they were talking about.

"Enough talk!" Sirus barked. "Tell us where Rayla and your brother are. Then, we'll kill you in front of them before we kill them." Kiara looked at her friend as if he'd just grown a second head but said nothing. Amer didn't seem to object at all.

"Callum and Rayla are…" Ezran paused. The word was hard for him to get out, but now wasn't the time to get lost in his thoughts. "dead." The three elves looked stunned. He continued, somehow plucking up his courage. "One of the Dragonguard saw one of Aaravos's dark mages with Rayla's swords. If they got hold of her swords, they wouldn't have let them live, so too bad, your plans for revenge are ruined."

"I see." Amer said, calming down, and Ezran didn't like the look he was giving him. "Well, it's a shame we didn't get to see it happen. It would have been so satisfying. Still, I guess you'll be a good consolation prize. And we'll be saving another elf from your family's depravities."

Though his peripheral vision, Ezran could see Bait charging – or what passed for charging with him – toward them. Kiara walked the maybe three feet toward Bait and harmlessly picked him up. He was still red and squirmed helplessly, though Ezran did notice that Kiara didn't seem as vengeful as her companions. Ezran didn't struggle as her companions apprehended him – he neither had nor knew how to use weapons. He was counting on having found his aunt and her crew by now. Maybe not thinking things through was a prt of this whole puberty thing. That would certainly explain why teenagers were famed for stupid stunts.

"We'll wait until tomorrow." Amer said. "It won't be as satisfying if we do it in the dark. I think we all agree that after all this trouble, we'll want to savor the sight." Sirus nodded in agreement, and Kiara was silent, considering something, as she also bound up Bait and tied his ropes to Ezran's back. He was grumbling away, signaling to Ezran that he was at least okay.

It was still dark when Ezran awoke, feeling something fiddling with his binding. His arms sprang free and Bait climbed up his back and onto his shoulder. It was Kiara, who put a finger to her mouth in a silent plea for him to keep quiet and gestured for him to follow. He took a moment to look back to where Amer and Sirus slept, about two feet apart, but each curled in an effort to retain heat. He looked back at Kiara and followed. Once they were a decent distance away, they began talking as they went.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Rayla's…gone." Kiara's voice was cracking, and Ezran could tell she'd been crying. "And…that's what we came out here for. Ten of us left home to take Rayla and her human down, only Sirus and I remain, and now someone else did it entirely."

"Well, that's a good thing, right?" Ezran asked. "So you didn't have to do it yourself? You're Kiara, right? Rayla told us about you, how you two used to be best friends."

"Yeah." She said, wistfully. "We went to school together, Sirus and us. It's been so long since we've been out here, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be welcomed back home. And then to all of a sudden have our goal ripped away from us, replaced by someone who didn't even do anything…I'm done. There's no reason left to stay, this isn't what we came out here for. The truth is, I…should have left a long time ago."

"I'm Ezran, and this is Bait." He said, gaining her attention.

"Ezran?" she asked. "We know your name back in the Silvergrove. You and your father were supposed to be assassinated."

"So I've heard." He said. "But Rayla was too good for that. She almost lost her hand for me."

"Sounds like her." She said, smiling to herself. "She was always the more rambunctious of the two of us when we were kids and would take anyone one in a fight, but she would" she stopped, remembering Latus. Her voice grew tight. "n-never kill a fly."

"Something wrong?" Ezran asked. Kiara told Ezren about Latus, and how Rayla had killed him when he sent an arrow through Callum's arm. Ezren's face had paled, so Kiara had to assure him that arrow wounds were quick to heal if properly treated, and all assassins had basic medical training.

"So what happened between –" He was interrupted when his aunt and her soldiers seemed to charge out of the dark night. It was then that they realized that they had gotten far away, enough that Amer and Sirus were out of sight. They surrounded them, Amaya looking suspiciously at the stranger, saving her real livid look for her nephew.

"What the – Kiara?" Lain asked, immediately recognizing this daughter's childhood friend. She didn't see him, of course, just a horse without a rider. She didn't question this, though, remembering Runaan's account of his imprisonment and rescue, which had included Lain and his wife.

Ezran tried and failed to give Amaya a feeble smile and waved. She was unamused.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** is Latin for 'spark'. The encounter wasn't random, either, that's all I'll say. As for Aviana, I based it off of Fortree City from Pokemon. A city in the trees has always been a cool idea to me, and if you check out Dragon Prince's Twitter or Tumbler, it turns out they're Pokemon fans themselves; they even have a trainer AU. And a capelet is what is sounds like, it's a short cape that goes over the shoulders and doesn't go passed the upper arms. I saw a fanart piece of older Callum wearing one and like it. Review.


	28. The Final Talk

**Chapter Twenty-eight: The Final Talk**

Callum, Rayla and Mira weren't far from Aviana, with Callum happily clad in his new feather capelet and Mira proudly wearing her new clothes, both of which offered additional warmth. The massive trees were left behind, giving way to more moderately sized trees and rocks.

None of them really saw what happened. They could have sworn Aaravos appeared out of the shadow of a boulder. It was still early enough in the morning that shadows were long. His eyes were trained on Callum the whole time. Their stomachs dropped, and Mira felt numb when Viren and Claudia followed from the same strange spot, their eyes blackened with dark magic. She backed up and Rayla made an attempt to shield her from sight.

Mira's mind was racing, flooding with fear. It…it was her, the one who had killed her mother. She immediately felt stupid; this had been the human's game all along, to deliver her to the dark mages to finish the job. She didn't know what the two elves were doing with them, but they were in on it. She looked at the human woman – she recognized that woman, who certainly saw her now. Mira pulled out her small, blunt sword and held it in shaky hands.

"Callum." Aaravos greeted with a grin.

"Aaravos." Callum returned, his voice dripping in disdain in a way that shook both Rayla and Claudia. Neither had ever heard him speak in such a tone before. Rayla's eyes locked with Claudia's when she saw the mage holding her swords.

"It's been a while, has it not?" he asked. Callum clinched his jaw as Rayla looked at him. Mira glared at him; she knew he was in on this.

"Callum, what's he talking about?" Rayla asked.

"It's nothing." He said, knowing that his answer made it sound so much worse than it was, but there wasn't time to explain. He'd tell her about it once they were all safe.

"Oh my, you haven't told her then?" Aaravos asked.

"There's nothing to tell." Callum replied. "There's nothing proving it's true and if even it is, it doesn't change anything."

"Oh, I'm hurt." Aaravos said, despite the sly grin and taunting tone. "My own heir, so unwilling to hear me out."

Rayla, who was still looking at Callum, looked shocked, but seeing Callum's frown deepen in defiance, she knew his words were true; whatever the other elf was talking about, it didn't matter to Callum. Viren and Claudia also looked like this was news to them. Viren would never have imagined that the elf from the mirror, his companion, was an ancestor to Sarai's kid. Claudia would have had more time to think if the little elf girl hadn't started running. Claudia remembered her promise to kill the girl and she sprang forward with Rayla hot on her trail.

It was almost humorously easy for Rayla to overtake Claudia, intercepting the chase. Seconds later, Mira fell to the ground when she tripped over a tree root, and unlike the rock back in the meadow, this caused a sharp pain in her ankle. She was now unable to run, only watch the battle a few feet away. It was a fairly quick fight with Claudia waving the swords around like an amateur and Rayla being too quick this time to succumb to her magic. It was practically child's play to jump behind her and deliver a quick kick to the center of her back, sending her down with the swords sprawling onto the ground. Rayla was relieved to finally regain her cherished swords; she certainly felt safer with them back in her custody.

Rayla replaced one of her swords back in its sheath, keeping one out and walking over to Mira. She picked the child up with her free hand, securing her to her side and kept the sword in the other, glaring at Claudia as she moved to get up.

Mira was confused. Wasn't Rayla working with the humans and that weird elf? She supposed even if she was, there was no getting out of her grasp now, so she clung to the woman for dear life. Rayla and Claudia watched in fascination as the child seemed to fade away from sight. Rayla could still feel the child clinging to her and feel her small weight in her arm, she was simply invisible.

"A bit young to be using those camouflage abilities, aren't we, child?" Aaravos asked. He gestured for Claudia to return to him and her father. He looked almost annoyed with her.

"Camouflage?" Rayla asked as Claudia moved back to them, now not taking her eyes off of Rayla, who replaced her last sword on her back.

"A simple defense measure for Earthblood elves." The older elf explained. "Really, though, things don't have to come to that." He turned back to Callum. "Callum, before dark magic, humans suffered and starved. They were gifted a way to survive, to complete with the elves and dragons, and were unjustly punished for it. Banished."

"Unjustly?" Callum asked, outraged. "Dark magic can be done with things like hair or eggshells, even rocks. The dark mages didn't have to poach and kill magical creatures, but they chose to! That's what got us banished!"

"The weak exist to feed the strong, boy. It is nature's way." Aaravos said. "Those who manage to ascend in the order are owed the privilege even beyond those who were born into it. There are thousands, if not millions of you humans and less than five thousand dragons. If every single one of you devoted yourselves to it, they could easily be whipped out. Or…even raise a particularly powerful dragon." As he said this, his eyes drifted to the star dragon egg poking out of Callum's bag. Seeing this, Callum shielded it with his arm, pushing it partly behind himself in the process.

"Whatever you have against the dragons, it's not my fight." Callum told him. "They're not monsters, they're living creatures."

"And what about Thunder?" Viren asked, speaking for the first time. Callum's attention snapped to him. "He killed Sarai. Are you really saying he wasn't a monster?"

Silence. Callum couldn't say the Dragon King was someone whose death he mourned, but Viren, how…how dare he? His brow dropped into a deep scowl. Rayla looked warily at the anger. "Don't you dare talk about my mother!" he shouted. "You take her name out of your filthy mouth!"

"As long as the dragons and elves live, humans are in danger!" Viren said, a look of disgust on his face. "You've been given a great gift, Callum, and you squander it by aligning yourself with the enemy."

With every negative word from Viren's mouth, Callum's anger grew. He knew for a fact that it had ultimately been Viren's plan that had gotten his mother killed, and in the process started the whole debacle against the royal family. He'd actually known since he was little, maybe eight or nine, when his aunt had told him privately about the whole ordeal – it was why he wasn't terribly surprised at Viren's betrayal that night; other than how cold and unfriendly he had always been to Callum and Ezran, his aunt openly distrusted the man and had even tried in vain to convince Harrow that Viren wasn't to be trusted many times over the years.

"King Avizandum attacked because of your plan, Viren!" Callum accused.

"A threat is a threat." Viren persisted, ignoring the accusation entirely. "But we can overcome that threat if you'd just swallow your pride. If not, you'll be treated no differently than any Xadian. We'll slaughter you just as we will the rest."

Claudia looked stunned at her father. He…he'd never said anything about killing Callum. She would run down the General, Soren and even Ezran for her father's plan, but…Callum? How could she do it? Her stomach flipped in distaste when the elf grabbed his hand, which calmed him a little.

"Try me." He dared, which sent a chill though Rayla, Claudia and the still-yet-to-reappear Mira.

"Callum, do you realize the power you'll have? No other human has achieved what you have. You've only earned your right to rule over them." Aaravos said.

"Under you?" Callum's voice was untrusting.

"You've no reason to worry." Aaravos said. "I would never harm my own blood."

"That's not what I hear." Callum's voice was low. Aaravos's smirk disappeared. "I don't care what I am to you, I'll do whatever it takes to stop you, and you can forget about this egg."

Viren was about to say something but was stunned into silence by Aaravos's next words. "Very well. An orphaned dragonling is by no means an invisible creature, as I'm sure all present company is aware. All it means is that it will be another creature to be drained of its power, rather then assisting us in more direct manors. I am quite disappointed, Callum. I had hoped I could talk you out of this blind loyalty to the elves and dragons you feel, but it seems you are more like Aarush than I first thought. Such a shame to waste a fascinating specimen such as yourself. Oh well. That's fate, I suppose. Get your affairs in order, son. Your days are numbered."

Callum and Rayla watched and braced themselves as Aaravos drew an unfamiliar rune. "Umbra Intinerantur." A small pulse of energy encased him, Viren and Claudia. Nothing seemed to happen until they moved into the shadow from which they had come and seemed to disappear, Aaravos staying back to keep eye contact with Callum until the last instant before he vanished.

Callum approached the bolder and placed his hand on it, half-expecting some sort of portal like the Mirror of Aaravos had been. There was only cold, solid rock to meet his hand harmlessly. He looked at Rayla, seeing that Mira was coming back into view. Rayla was now trying to calm her; she was crying softly and hugging the other elf close. Callum's heart sank when he went over to him and Mira's grip on Rayla tightened, as though she would protect her from the human.

"Callum," Rayla said, seriously. "we need to talk."

* * *

"We're going home now." Amaya's signing with so rapid and rigid that Gren almost struggled to translate it. Ezran looked at her with defiance. "We sent a message to Tiadrin last night. Do you have any idea how worried she must be?"

"No, we're not!" He said. "Viren and Claudia are still out there!"

"Ezren, you're not in charge anymore." Gren translated. Amaya took a deep breath and her face softened. Her signs, much to Gren's relief, calmed down and became more legible. "Ezran, you're all I have left. Can you imagine what it would have been like for me to come home and find you gone?"

"What about me?" he countered, tears in his eyes. "You're the only family I have left! What would happened to me if they killed you?"

Amaya stared for a moment and all was silent. She looked him in the eye and signed; "I'm taking you and home, and you're grounded for running away. The others will stay out here to keep looking for Viren and Claudia." Amaya looked at Soren. "Soren, you're in charge of this mission now. Apparently, Ezran can't be trusted by himself; he, Gren and I are going home."

Soren nodded with determination. He wanted to go home with them, honestly, but as long as Viren and Claudia had Callum and Rayla's blood on their hands, he couldn't go home. It was only right that he do anything he could to avenge them or at the very least he could somehow recover Rayla's swords from Claudia. A loud scream interrupted these proceedings, getting everyone's attention. Ezran and Kiara were pulled up onto Lain and Soren's horses and they rode to see what it was.

* * *

Amer and Sirus were livid; Amer being the one that had shouted his rage to the sky. They knew full well that Kiara had released their prisoner in the night; unlike with Rayla, Sirus had no delusions about Kiara being soft. He knew that when she had chosen to pursue the life of a lowly cook, rather than an assassin.

It didn't take long for the horses to reach them, barreling out of the trees as abruptly as the night before to Ezran and Kiara. The two angry elves were surrounded by horses and humans. Amaya was quick to zero in on Amer, who returned her look of absolute hatred. When Amer entered his heat-being mode, the snow around him melted away and the cold air around him began to tremble at the sudden heat.

Amaya leapt off of her horse, her shield in hand, with which she blocked Amer's charge and threw him to the side. The snow melted immediately when he fell into it, creating mud. Lain, being invisible to him, was able to make quick work of Sirus, activating his polearm's whip form and wrapped it around him. Soren was quick to bind his arms with chains so Lain could release him. Soren handed the bounded Moonshadow elf off to Gren to keep an eye on while they assisted Amaya. Sirus sent a murderous look to Kiara, who returned a look of annoyance.

Amer's erratic attacks weren't like his sister's more calculated and conservative movements. A wise warrior treated battle like a run; if you went out of the gate with all of your energy, you'd deplete it quickly and render yourself helpless in no time. She briefly questioned how he had gotten onto the Dragonguard at all if he was making such rookie mistakes. Of course, there was always the possibility that he wasn't all there. He had spent the better part of two years on his own, and Amaya preferred not to think about the things that could do to one's mind.

Amer went down when Lain swept his now sturdy polearm under his legs and tripped him, sending him to the ground once more. Amaya decided to just deal with the burns when she grabbed Amer by the smoldering shirt and punched him with enough force to knock him out. Amer fell into the now boiling mud, unconscious; his heat-being mode was finally calmed and in seconds he was as they were familiar with him. Amaya ignored her blistering fingers as she bound Amer up.

* * *

Mira was sitting a short was away from the couple, watching them. Rayla had had that evil woman on the end of her sword and had protected her. She clearly did mean to protect Mira, but then why was she with that human? Why was she allowing him to stay rather then force him to go with his kind? And most importantly, why was Rayla currently laying in the human's arms, allowing him to whisper to her and hold her? Grown ups were weird. Mira continued to watch them. If the human tried anything, she wanted to be able to return the favor by protecting Rayla from him.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you." Callum said. He was leaning against a tree, with Rayla in his lap, half laying on his chest, with his arms locked firmly around her. "I…I didn't even know how to feel myself."

"You seemed pretty sure a few minutes ago." Her tone of voice was gentle; not really sad, just quiet. "Callum? What was that?" Callum gave her a questioning hum. "I've never seen you that angry before."

"I don't know where that came from." Callum told her, and it was true. Viren had spoken of his mother in the past and it had never gotten him that angry. Angry enough to contemplate…Callum's eyes went to Mira, who was sitting a foot or two away from the two, and they locked gazes for a moment. She distrusted him as much as ever. He could imagine she would become downright terrified of him if he had done anything drastic. He looked back to Rayla and buried his nose in her hair. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

She answered him by pulling away from him, placing a hand on his cheek and kissing him deeply. The kiss held a message; all was forgiven. Despite the warmth spell, Callum felt cold when she left his arms and got up. Callum rose to his feet as she walked over to and picked up Mira.

"Come on, we need to keep going." Rayla said, and she and Callum continued on the path. They said nothing, but they were both thinking about it and they shared the same conclusion; whatever had happened to Callum had shaken both of them.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** "Umbra Intinerantur" is Latin for 'Shadow Travel'. It's from one of my favorite book series', Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Totally recommend. Back on topic, is Amer going totally insane, or is he just a grumpy boy who needs a time-out? And speaking of going insane, Callum has begun trudging a slippery slope. Oooh! Review.


	29. Lights In The Night

**Chapter Twenty-nine: Lights In The Night**

In the three days since the two elves had been captured, they were like night and day, pun not intended. Sirus went along quietly, not taking food or drink. Lain and Kiara explained that this was common for their kind when captured by the enemy; better to either be killed with a shred of dignity or wither away on their own terms then beg for mercy like a coward. Kiara was frankly impressed; she had been sure that Sirus had abandoned all of the codes of conduct and sense of honor of the Moonshadow elves in this long, long quest away from home.

Amer, on the other hand, was like a rapid animal; wild, unpredictable, and very, very noisy. Ezran, having his gift with animals, had never known what it was like to be afraid of an animal that couldn't be reasoned with and who was at risk of attacking anyone who came too near. He still didn't, but this had to be a close approximation. Amer had kept on and on about the humans and Aaravos, so at some point he was gagged. His muffled sounds weren't ideal, but more bearable than his talking.

* * *

Mira couldn't be blamed for what she did. Being so young and even more sheltered, she probably didn't even know what a goblin was; the small creatures were a danger that every young elf was taught to avoid before they could speak. They were dangerous because of their deceptive appearance; they stood on two legs and had hands, covered in black, leathery hide with huge, luminous red eyes. They looked like they should have been intelligent beings, sharing their shape with elves and humans, but in truth they had the intelligence – and accompanying instincts – of insects.

So, when she had curiously approached the wretched little thing, it had reacted according to its instincts at snarled at her. Being a small child, Mira had retaliated by shoving the thing off of its branch – the three had come to a swamp that was currently covered in frost and ice. Most of the creatures had evidently chosen to keep to their dwellings to stay out of the cold, which was probably why the goblin was out, in a desperate search for food.

The blood-curtailing scream instantly had Mira covering her ears as Rayla grabbed her and they began running. Thankfully not only was the ice covered in a fresh layer of snow, but the swamp was small. They made it out, somehow, without slipping or tripping. The angry chattering behind them didn't fade, it grew, and only Mira looked back to see a mob of goblins chasing them.

Coming to an open field, Callum turned to face the mob and drew the Aspiro rune, allowing Rayla to run passed him before unleashing the spell, blowing the mob away – adult goblins were about the size of a five-year-old, the danger came from numbers, not physical power – so it was a simple fix. Rayla, however, didn't let Mira down and they kept running.

When they finally stopped and Mira was set down, she looked guiltily up at Rayla. She was sure she was in trouble, so she was confused when the older elf drew her close and held for a bit. She must have thought she was just scared. When Mira caught the human looking at her with worry, she scowled at him and turned away. Callum and Rayla looked at this, then sadly to each other.

Callum checked on the egg, and was relieved to see that it was safe, having never left the bag. He sighed. Rayla, who would have once responded to this with a playful, sarcastic quip, walked over to him and hugged him. Her presence was enough to dispel the bad feelings and he smiled and kissed her head.

"Nothing fell through the ice this time." Callum said. In fact, luck seemed to be on their side in general lately. The fresh snow on the ground that kept the ice from being slippery, the goblins who had given up the chase, the small size of that swamp. He only shuttered the think of the calamity that would no doubt end this lucky streak.

* * *

Aaravos stared up at the sky, contemplating. The new moon would be coming around in four or five days. He looked at the Scepter of Darkness for a moment; there was an occasional lightning-like discharge. He imagined, much like the minds of his lessers, such a huge swell of magic was a lot for one simple stone, but only two more arcanums to go, then he'd be able to regain his power.

Claudia watched him and her father, making sure neither were watching her. She couldn't risk being stopped anymore. Now that Callum wasn't a point of interest to Aaravos anymore, it was time to act before something happened. She crushed the insect in her fist, whispered the shadow travel spell and slipped away.

* * *

The sound of hoof-steps and frantic muttering got Callum, Rayla and Mira's attention. It sounded like someone held captive. They were in a thinner part of the woods, surrounded by thickets. Beyond a small cluster of thickets was a short slope of maybe five feet, flanking a dirt road, which they imagined was were the footsteps were coming from. Callum took off his bag and handed it to Rayla.

"Stay here with Mira and the egg." Callum told Rayla "I'll go see what's happening." Rayla nodded, though she had every intention of jumping into whatever it was if she heard anything she didn't like. Callum walked through the thicket and looked down to the road, preparing himself for a fight. He was surprised, then, when he instantly recognized each of the group.

"Aunt Amaya!" Callum gasped. Said general needed to be tapped and pointed his way to see him, and she joined the others in their amazed looks. She was the only one not on horseback, instead leading her horse who was laden with the bound and gagged Amer, who himself looked displeased as ever to see him.

"Callum!" Soren, Ezran and Gren exclaimed as Callum made his way down the slope to them. He was too happy to even question what Amer, Sirus and Kiara were doing here, let alone what they were all doing together, as he threw his arms around his aunt and brother who had dismounted the horse he shared with Soren.

"What are you guys doing out here?" he asked when he pulled away. Soren approached them.

"Avenging you." Soren told him. "Everyone thinks you and Rayla are dead."

"Awfully presumptuous." Rayla said. She had appeared when everyone had been distracted, Mira held to her side and the bag on her other shoulder. She made her way down the slope more gracefully then Callum had. Lain's heart swelled with happiness; she was alive. "What made them think that?"

"Rayla!" The elf in question was surprised to find herself being charged by Kiara, and even more so when, rather than an attack, she found herself in a hug.

"I…" Rayla was very confused. The last she and Kiara had seen each other, Rayla had killed one of her last companions. Looking past her, Rayla saw Sirus glaring at her. The look she returned simply told him to buzz off. Still, she wrapped her free arm around the other girl to return the hug. "I'm glad to see you, too, Kiara."

"Hey, how long has it –" As Kiara backed away, Soren meant to greet her but stopped when he saw the child under Rayla's arm. The green-eyed, brown-haired, elven child. "I mean, really, how long has it been?"

"Only about two months!" a blushing Callum told him as Rayla set the little one down. "She's not ours."

"Everyone, this is Mira." Rayla said, and the child looked at them with distrust. More humans. Most of the strangers regarded her with curiosity, Lain looking relieved for some reason. Mira's look became fascination when her eyes landed on Bait, and gave a started yelp when the glow toad turned orange, and then pink. "Now, what's this about us being dead?"

Being so caught up in their reunion, no of the group payed any attention to the prisoners. Amer had spent his energy thrashing about all morning; not so with Sirus, who had kept calm. Therefor, he was allowed to redden his face with effort to break the ropes and spring into action. Or he would have, had he not been in the custody of seasoned soldiers, Gren and Lain were quick to subdue him. He struggled in their grasp, though the outburst did gain the attention of the others.

'We found them skulking around.' Amaya signed to Callum. 'They apparently threatened you brother and K-I-A-R-A saved him.'

Callum nodded and looked over to the angry elf. "Hey, Sirus."

"Why aren't you dead?" Sirus half-yelled, half-asked.

"I donno." Callum shrugged. "Lucky?" Sirus continued to struggle and Callum turned to Kiara. "Does he have a weapon?"

"No." she said. "Those Earthblood elves stole them."

"Okay." Callum said and turned to Sirus. "Let him go. He won't stop until he's fought me."

"Are you sure?" Ezran said. He, along with most of the company looked surprised, having never expected this from Callum. Even Rayla was perplexed.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Callum promised. "Maybe if he gets put in his place, he'll finally calm down, and I think it needs to be me. Just move to the side, give us some space and I'll take care of it."

Reluctantly, the group did so, moving to the side of the road in front of the slope. Amaya, Rayla, Soren and Ezran watched closely, Mira with confusion, wondering what was happening. Amer was also unconscious. Gren and Lain let the hostage go and didn't even start to join the rest at the side of the road before Sirus rushed Callum.

Somehow, Callum couldn't bring himself to take Sirus seriously, even now that the guy wasn't trapped in ice. Probably because he had no weapon and likely no real plan. Callum, on the other hand, had connected to half of the arcanums; he wielded three different kinds of magic, meaning this fight was bound to be a cakewalk. He drew a rune and hit him with a simple Aspiro spell, strong enough to blow the elf off of his feet. Sirus growled as he practically jumped to his feet and again charged.

Callum was weighing the effects of other spells to attack with when Sirus leapt, and in midair was struck by what looked like a rogue Fulminous spell from the side of the road opposite the slope, where a thicker entanglement of trees stood. Sirus dropped like a stone and all eyes went to where the lightening had come from. Claudia appeared from the shadows.

Callum narrowed his eyes at her. "What's your game?"

"He would have tried to kill her again." She looked at Rayla. "And really, you're mine, not his."

"I'm flattered," Rayla's tone was sarcastic, despite the scorn evident on her face. "but I'm with someone, and we're happy."

Claudia didn't seem to appreciate the joke and turned back to Callum. "Callum, I don't want to see you get killed. If we leave now, maybe Aaravos will still accept you."

"Accept me?" Callum asked. "Who says I needed to be accepted? Aaravos is trying to take down the dragons, it's not right, why would I ever join in on that?"

Mira, going out of her mind with fear, ran, ignored Rayla calling her name. She ran away from the evil lady, away from the humans. She was done, she'd do what she could to survive on her own. Of course, as small as she was, she didn't get terribly far before she slipped and fell on a puddle of ice. Claudia watched her, producing a small bone of some sort – one end of which was charred – and drew another Fulminous rune. His heart spiking in panic, Callum bolted to Mira.

Mira looked back, helpless, to see the woman preparing to send a spell her way and the human she'd been traveling with racing toward her. She clinched her eyes, wondering if it would hurt. She could hear the buzz of the lightening only for a second, the sound of running ending in a crash and a scraping noise coming toward her. At the voices screaming the human's name, Mira opened her eyes. The human was on the ground, not moving, in front of her. Feeling suddenly sick, she dared not look any lower than his face.

In less than a moment, Rayla and the young human were at his side, her shooing the evil woman away when she tried to get near him. His breathing was heavy. Mira, meanwhile, was so confused. All her life, her parents, her friends, everyone had told her that humans were evil and crafty monsters, but this…this monster just saved her.

"Get away from him!" Rayla snarled, her swords now out in a threat if Claudia took a step closer. The dark mage was horrified at what she had just done. This time, there was no way she could blame the elf. The guards surrounded Claudia, pointing their weapons at her; Soren doing so with a heavy heart.

"None of that will be necessary." A low, silky voice said. In the mist of the chaos, no one had noticed Aaravos and Viren appear where Claudia once was. Viren was again in a pale, weak state, but he looked angry to see the swords pointed at his daughter – he didn't even look at Callum. Aaravos spared the boy a lingering glance, his eyes hardening as they turned to Claudia. "She's been causing more and more trouble as of late, so allow my assistance."

The elf was bold as he walked right into the circle and grabbed Claudia by the jaw, forcing her to look at him. She had always found the elf unnerving, but rarely had she been truly afraid of him before. What would he do to her? "Ab intis uri."

Before anyone saw, Viren bolted forward and pulled Claudia out of his grasp, shouting, "Not my baby girl!" Viren didn't flinch when Aaravos looked at him, unsmiling, and placed the hand on him; the incarnation was spoken, now the spell needed to happen. Viren was suddenly sent to the ground by a burning sensation that he had never felt the likes of. He wailed in pain and the guards packed up, Amaya gesturing for them to join her over by Rayla and Ezren, if only for the safety. They watched in blind terror.

Viren watched in horror was his fresh began to scorch away, like cinders crawling over an old log, revealing a void inside – perhaps that was what the earlier pain had been, burning his insides clear away. His voice was gone, he couldn't scream; only produce the choked, panicking gasps that the male Moonshadow elf, and later that mongrel Callum, had given when he had stolen their voices. The faces of those he knew he had wronged - the humans, that is, the elves deserved whatever he did - flashed before him. Harrow, Sarai, Callum, Ezran, Soren. Oh, if he could go back and beg their forgiveness. How could he have done those things to his own kind? How could he be so stupid as to trust and elf? He looked horrified at Aaravos.

"It appears as though I won't need you after all, Viren." Aaravos said, getting up. "Don't despair, though, you've done so much for me already. Without you, I never would have been able to return to this plane. I'll be sure to remember you."

These were the last words Viren heard before the flame overtook the last of him, and all that was left was one last gasp on the wind. Aaravos drew the rune Rayla now knew let him travel through shadows, and he acknowledged them with a court nod before turning back and melting into the shadows.

The group was now left alone. The guards quickly resumed their apprehension of Claudia, who was now in shock; wide eyed and unresponsive, staring blankly at the spot where her father had once been. This time, there was nothing left. He was gone for good. Amaya released Mira, who's eyes she had covered to spare the child this gruesome scene. Showing just how much either truly cared for the old dark mage, Ezran and Rayla returned their attention to Callum, who had not seemed to have noticed what happened at all, still fighting for breath. Soren told himself that here would be time later to properly reflect on this, but now wasn't that time. He assisted in apprehending his sister, feeling more worried about her than upset about Viren.

"We have to get a message to Aviana, we just came from there a few days ago." Rayla told the others. "We know a healer there."

Amaya nodded, signed at Gren to keep watch over Callum and the others and mounted a horse. After pulling Rayla up to sit behind her, they took off down the road.

Mira felt awful about how she had behaved to the human and she wanted to make it up to him. She had heard dragon eggs were powerful things. Maybe…Mira ignored the odd looks she was given as she took the star dragon egg out of the bag and set it on his chest, holding it in place. It didn't seem to help, but no one but the two of them - Callum and the life within the egg - could feel the synchronizing of their heartbeats.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** For the goblins, just imagine Gallum with pitch-black skin and glowing red eyes. That's a Xadian goblin. Ah, but none of you care about that; OMG, Viren's dead and Claudia's captured! The incantation means 'burn from inside' and is the same thing Aaravos used on Janai's sister. Man, that was one brutal way to go. And if that wasn't enough, the next chapter is going to be the new moon! Review.


	30. The Gift Of Life

**Chapter Thirty: The Gift Of Life**

Wendel had long ago overtaken Amaya and Rayla. When they made it back, Callum was shirtless Wendel was rubbing some kind of poultice on him. By the grunts and heavy breathing, he was in so much pain. Claudia was still and silent, Amer was nowhere to be seen, and Mira, the egg in her arms, was upset about something, though it was difficult to tell what it was if she didn't say. Whatever the case, Rayla was surprised that she was allowing Ezran to comfort her. Ezran himself looked like he was stopping himself from crying. Soren and Lain were watching over Callum and Gren seemed to be taking his job as lookout seriously.

Amaya went straight to Gren and started signing about something or the other. Rayla supposed it must have been about their missing hostage. Deciding that she couldn't see Callum like this, Rayla elected to go over to where Kiara was at the border of the woods, but off the road. For the first time in her life, the fact that she couldn't see Sirus anywhere worried her. There was a mound of upturned dirt before her and she was shaking the dirt off of her hands that said plainly that she had been digging. Rayla steeled herself at the implications.

"What happened?" she asked. Kiara was somber and Lain came over to them.

"Sirus was…" she paused, her eyes flickering toward the mound of dirt. "that Fulminous spell hit him right in the heart." Rayla would later regret that her only reaction to this was to grow even more worried about Callum, who had taken the same spell. Her head snapped in the direction he was, still being treated.

"Sirus's death was instant." Lain told her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "The human was hit just below the center of his chest, but not in the heart, and he's still holding on."

Rayla accepted the hug her father gave, and the kiss he planted on his head; whatever he thought of the boy or of his relationship to Rayla, what was clear was that, in this moment, his daughter needed him. When she opened her eyes to look over his shoulder, she caught Soren's eye, who's gaze flitted to his sister awkwardly. Though Claudia had been a thorn in Rayla's side since before she knew the girl's name and she really doubted that they'd ever become friends even if she gave up dark magic, it still somehow felt shameful to be receiving affection from her father in light of what had happened. Claudia's eyes weren't even open to see it, but Rayla still pulled away. All available eyes went to her, keenly, protectively watching as she crept bit by bit over to Claudia.

Her posture was defeated, eyes still closed. Her sudden look at Rayla, furious and hate-filled, had the elf stop in her tracks just within five feet. Deciding that starting a fight would hardly be useful in a time like this, Rayla quickly abandoned what was bound to be an awkward encounter no matter what – a half-civil conservation, for once – and steeled herself. The only other thing she had any interest in was…

Rayla's heart was pounding as she approached Callum, who was now being watched over by Soren, Amaya, Ezran and a surprisingly tearful Mira. Wendel was still working, looking no less worried for his patient's life. The Fulminous blast had left a thick, angry red mark that was a perfect print of the lightening, beginning between his chest and stomach and reaching over his body; chest, stomach, and upper arms all cruelly invaded by redness. The highest point was along the side of his neck, ending just below his jaw. The injury itself didn't look as bad as she thought, but his pale, pained face and hair pasted to his forehead with sweat, made up for that. He jerked whenever the poultice was applied to certain places; suggesting that it was either cold to the touch or stung badly. The next few days would be spent in a similar haze as this.

* * *

At last, it was the night of the new moon. And Aaravos was delighted to note – not a cloud in the sky. The elf produced something from his cloak that he had hidden from his former companions – a shard of Viren's staff, which contained the tiniest trace of star magic along along with the other five primals. It took a considerable amount of effort, but his patience payed off when he felt the power of the stars swell in his veins, and he knew the shard was now packed with the magic.

It was a simple task to set the shard to the Scepter of Darkness, and purple joined the spectrum of color around the black primal stone. Aaravos observed the crackling and small flares coming off of the stone, as though the thing were about to burst with the power of five primal sources, wrapped up still with his personal masterpiece, dark magic. Hopefully, all it would need is to settle down, and once the sky arcanum was acquired, the stone could burst to pieces as far as he was concerned, because he would have already absorbed the powers of the six primal sources and been restored to his former glory. Even as fast as the days passed in his eyes, he couldn't wait for spring to arrive.

The plummeting temperatures had motivated the band to search for cover; they couldn't very well make the trip back to Novus with Callum in such a state. So, they had found a cave to hide out in and at least try to keep warm and dry as they waited for Callum to at least wake up.

He seemed to have stabilized, at least. Wendel hadn't wanted to leave them, but he had needed to get back to his family; he had taken his leave that morning, just after finding the cave for them. Claudia was still unresponsive, despite Soren's twice-a-day attempts to speak with her; she would just turn away with a scowl on her face, treating him in much the same way she treated Rayla. Mira had been what would better be described as wary then outright afraid, but she had warmed up to Ezran and Amaya, at least. This was only known because she didn't shy away from Ezran and accepted the stories he told her to pass the time, about his, Callum and Rayla's journey to deliver the Dragon Prince to his mother. On Amaya's end, the general seemed to have taken an instant liking to the child and showed this by ruffling her hair, to which Mira eventually began to smile when she realized that this was meant as a gesture of fondness and not a threat.

Today, Ezran and Mira were wondering how to get this egg to hatch; the hatchling inside was clearly alive and fully developed. The problem was, Ezran remembered how sky dragons only hatched in storms, and gathered that if sky dragon eggs needed special conditions to hatch, the same was probably true for other kinds of dragon eggs. The question was, what?

* * *

Callum didn't realize it was a dream at first, but it was easy to piece together, largely because he had simply gotten used to it over the past few years. He wasn't sure if he had really dreamed of sticky, red-hot rain that only increased whenever he tried to wipe it off of himself, but he certainly had the memory of it. At least it was already fading away, replaced by the peace and comfort of a bed. He awoke to the feeling of slow, loving strokes. Callum opened his eyes and smiled to see his parents giving him tender looks.

"Where…am I?" Callum's voice was tense, as though he'd been though a harsh physical trial – oh that's right; he'd taken a Fulminous spell at full blast.

"At the border of the spirit world." Sarai told him calmly as he sat up. Before alarm could give way to a full panic, Sarai clarified; "You'll be okay, your friends saved you."

"So I'm about to wake up, then?" Callum asked.

"Not quite yet. There's something else that needs to be done before you can return." Harrow spoke, his face forlorn and eyes full of guilt. "Forgive me, Callum, this whole mess is my fault. Viren…" the former king chocked on the name before forcing himself to go on. "After that day, something changed in him. Amaya did everything she could to get me to see sense and admit Viren was no longer the idealistic boy I'd grown up with, but I refused to listen. His heart started out in the right place, but it didn't take long to go down his path. He started wanting to help the kingdom, just through rather extreme means, then to avenge your mother. I should have put a sound stop to things the moment the egg entered the conversation. I should have listened to the Dragon King when he gave us the option of turning back. Maybe if I had, everything would have stayed the way it was before." Harrow looked Callum in the eye. "Do you know why I'm telling you this, Callum?" The young mage shrugged. "All it takes is one extreme act in the name of your own interest to start down his path. A single twist of logic to justify taking a life will justify it forever. I'm sure Viren himself never imagined that his plan to harvest a magma titans heart would lead to my assassination."

Callum took a moment to consider this. Somehow, he knew that Harrow was talking about his own temper and the tendency of it to flare up as of late. He supposed he'd need to work on that before there was serious trouble. When Callum opened his eyes, he was disappointed to find his mother and stepfather gone. "Seeing no other option, Callum spoke to the still void that didn't respond. "I'll be sure to work on that." He said and quietly added; "Love you guys."

* * *

As Ezran held the egg in his hands, he noticed a strange pulling sensation going toward the cave entrance. The glowing core grew in brightness until the egg was all but shinning, all the while pushing toward the entrance. This gained the attention of the others, well, those who cared to look. Claudia was still in her depressed state and Soren practically dragged Rayla away from Callum, earning himself an annoyed look from the young elf.

"What's happening?" Gren asked on Amaya's behalf.

"I think…the egg wants to go outside." Ezren said slowly, clearly not fully understanding this himself.

"It's freezing out there." Amaya signed, faithfully translated by Gren. "If it gets too cold, it could die." Mira pouted and took the egg, marching toward the entrance herself. She didn't get far as Amaya barely had to pick up her walking pace before grabbing the child by the back of her shirt and lifting her clear off the ground, egg and all. Rayla caught herself smiling – her first in days – at the look Amaya was receiving; it wasn't the deep, angry glower she and Callum had become accustomed to, but the far milder pout of a child who had been told 'no'. Surely this meant she was healing, and Rayla couldn't wait for Callum to wake up so he could see it.

Rayla took the egg and was surprised at the pull she felt. No, it was…pushing? Was the dragonling inside pushing to get out of the cave? Was that even possible? She looked at the others. "Ez is right. The egg, it…it's pushing itself outside."

"What?" Soren asked, accompanied by the bright smiles of Ezran and Mira and the confusion of everyone else.

"Look, give us a minute outside, and then we'll come back in." Rayla said.

Amaya looked at her for a moment, and her quick signs were again translated. Rayla thought, maybe it would be wise to learn a few more signs for herself, just for the familiarity. "We're coming, then. We can't take any chances."

Rayla agreed and exited the cave, followed closely by Ezren, Mira and Amaya; the others had chosen to stay to keep an eye on Claudia or Callum, despite the lack of change in either of them. It was dark, the night of a new moon, with the stars in a breathtaking display. A couple of falling stars blazed across the night sky. With the icy wind and the snow on the ground, it was safe to say that winter was here now. The three watched as Rayla held the egg up to the stars, the strong glow now becoming almost luminous under the light of the stars. Not twenty seconds had passed before…

_Crack!_

The shell broke, unleashing the streams the light that Rayla and Ezran had seen once before through the cracks. Unlike with Zym's egg, though, this egg didn't go black or appear to cease hatching – probably because this one wasn't dying. A piece of shell fell to the ground, revealing a patch of pinkish scales connected to wispy, white hair.

The sense of wonder was over before it began as a freezing gust drove the small band back into the cave wordlessly; no matter, they could always help the hatchling along. Soren, Lain and Gren joined the audience as Rayla broke and peeled the shell away bit by bit until the egg was a shallow cradle that the baby could be lifted out of.

"Remember this part, Bait?" Ezran asked as he held the now green glow toad to the new baby dragon. He reluctantly licked the newcomer's eyes open as he had done for the Dragon Prince years before. The baby hiccupped as the eyes opened.

A pair of summer-green eyes gave hard blinks until they were able to focus. This new dragonling was the same pinkish-purple color as its egg had been, with flecks of darker purple, blue, green and even brown lining its back. Its white mane was somehow sleeker than Zym's and its horns were small enough that it was difficult to tell what they would look like when this little one reached adulthood. It was also slighter than the Dragon Prince had been.

The spectators looked on in amazement at the new life and it looked at each of them in turn, learning to straighten its eyes as it went. Unlike Zym, who had tackled Bait with affection, the new dragonling gave a cautious sniff before licking the disgruntled toad once before hoping onto the ground and stumbling its way into looking around, bumbling up to everyone and giving them sniffs.

"Does this one come with a name?" Rayla asked Ezran as they watched the little thing react to being petted curiosity of Soren. She seemed worried about the hand coming down on her, but soon she leaned into the stokes comfortably.

"She doesn't know any name that I can tell." He told her. "Looks like that'll be up to us this time."

They watched as the baby's interest was peaked upon seeing Callum. She stumbled over to him, tripping a couple of times along the way. Rayla and the others followed her, half in curiosity, half in worry for Callum. Rayla picked the dragonling up and set her gently on Callum's stomach, more gently then if she had taken it upon herself to climb up.

The hatchling seemed to purr as she settled herself on his chest, comforted by the rhythmic beating of his heart, the familiar beat that she remembered she had briefly felt through her shell. The baby didn't see when her scales began sparkling like the stars themselves, though the onlookers did, in a mixture of confusion and wonder. The sparkling only lasted a few seconds, and after, Callum twitched in the way that spoke of an eventful dream.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Look up 'lightening scar'; they look pretty cool and surprisingly not all of them are Harry Potter related. Also, it's a girl! A girl with no name, because I can't decide, there are so many appropriate words in so many languages! Anyone wanna help me out with suggestions (those always get my reviews up)? The words I'm thinking of are; gift, luck, wish, treasure and sparkle. Give me your preferred word or words and I'll see if I can find a pretty-sounding word for it in another language. The only thing is I would like to avoid cliché star names like Stella or Nova. Pretty names themselves, just sorta played out. Review.


	31. The Star Arcanum

**Chapter Thirty-one: The Star Arcanum**

Callum was puzzled; the feel of this place was familiar, the feel of connecting to an arcanum. But...that was so strange. While he hadn't made a conscious effort with the sky arcanum, it had been stewing in his mind for weeks at that point, and he had gone to sleep with the conviction of connecting to the sun and moon. The acquiring of an arcanum had been the furthest thing from Callum's mind when he had somehow overtaken that bolt, thinking only of protecting an innocent child who was just caught in the middle of all of this. So why now?

The one thing Callum saw appear before him was a mirror. Not the Mirror of Aaravos, this one lacked any curious runes on the frame, and was studded instead with small, glittering jewels, like something he would have seen back in the palace of Katolis. As Callum approached it, he noticed that it did display the whiteness that the Mirror or Aaravos did, and he wondered if, perhaps, that mirror wasn't one of a kind. Suddenly, the Key of Aaravos was in his hand, and without knowing why, he set a random rune to the glass. The whiteness cleared and a figure stared back at him.

The light blue skin, white hair, horns, five fingered hands and his own green eyes. It was the figure that he had seen before in another dream. And he was now looking at him, his expression puzzled. Callum moved his hand toward the mirror at the same time the figure did and was stunned when his movements - including his expression of shock – were mirrored perfectly. Callum was shocked when he looked to the figure's hand, with this again being mirrored, and beheld the Key of Aaravos, in the same hand being held in the same way. This was…a reflection?

Callum looked down at his hands and saw his own pale skin. He rubbed his hair, feeling no horns on his head, with all of this copied in the mirror. So, he himself remained the same, but his reflection was still this strange elf.

After a minute straight of staring at the mirror, waiting for something to happen, Callum finally decided to do the only thing that might make something happen; he set the sky rune to the glass, and the mirror went white again. Taking a breath, he passed through the glass.

* * *

In the waking world, humans and elves watched the little dragonling explore the cave, which thankfully wasn't very big. When the temperature outside continued to plummet, Amaya and Soren had fastened a tarp and rope over the opening to block the air out – luckily the horses had been loaded with provisions such as dry wood, blankets and plenty of rope. This allowed for a small fire to be made that both lite and warmed the inside of the cave.

Between the four horses, one small elf and bigger humans and elves, one of which was hurt and needed space, there wasn't a lot of space for the dragon to explore, with the cave coming to a harmless dead end after maybe fifteen feet. Large enough that all of these people could be comfortable for a night or two concealed. Occasionally, the baby dragon found a small pebble to roll around or an interesting smell or sight, but she seemed a bit less energetic then Zym had been.

"What about…Asteri?" Kiara suggested. She, Rayla and Ezran were sitting in a small trio leaning against a wall, close enough to Callum to keep an eye on him while also keeping watch over the hatchling.

The baby dragon now had free reign of the place, where before, Mira had been following her around to make sure she stayed safe. This had ended when the hour had caught up with the little elf and she had started yawning a rubbing her eyes. She hadn't put up much of a fuss when Amaya saw this, gently picked her up and pulled third and fourth blankets from the supply packs, the first used for a makeshift door and the second had been draped over Callum to keep him warm. Now Mira was sleeping soundly, tangled up in toasty blankets.

"No, I've heard that name for a dragon before." Rayla said. "This little one is one of a kind, I think her name should be unique, too. How about…Fulgor?"

"That sounds like some fancy drink." Ezran said. For a moment, he thought of offering up his mother's name, but thought better of it; as hard as it was to admit, both of his parents were pivotal in the death of King Avizandum, which had nearly plunged Xadia into war. Something about naming a baby dragon for his late mother just didn't seem right to Ezran, so he didn't bring it up. "Cassiopeia?"

"I don't even know how to spell that." Rayla said. She thought for a moment, combing her mind for any old tale or piece of information about creatures of the star primal. Aside from Kaiya back home and Aaravos, no one she knew had seen any creature that could be one. Grabbing Callum's discarded bag, she pulled out the Key of Aaravos and rolled it around with curiosity. The star rune shone purple when the pinkish-baby sauntered up to them, looking closely at the cube with the pretty light.

Kiara scratched the baby under her chin, which she seemed to appreciate. "You know, I've heard you star creatures bring good luck with you. Some can even grant wishes."

"Wish." Rayla speculated. "An old Draconic word for 'wish' is Kimaare." At this, the baby's head snapped to here as though answering her. "You like that name? Kimaare?"

The little one chirped happily. Ezran laughed and petted her mane. "She likes the name."

"Okay, Kimaare." Kiara said. Rayla carefully replaced the Key of Aaravos in the bag, nobody noticing the steady blinking of the star rune showing through the bag. Kimaare, her eyes finally beginning to droop, let out a yawn and walked over to Callum, who she nestled up beside, and fell asleep.

* * *

Callum found himself in a grassy field under a sky of stars, lighting the sky up so brightly that the moon might as well have been out, which it didn't seem to be. He looked behind him to find the mirror gone, in its place was the mysterious figure, holding the Key of Aaravos.

"Aarush?" The name fell out of Callum's mouth before he realized it. The figure looked stunned.

"You…You know me?" he asked in a voice that was far less threatening then Aaravos. He shook his head and regarded Callum sternly. "Listen, I don't have a lot of time. For now, what you need to do is to walk through the mirror, find a green cloth with the star rune on it, and wrap the key with it."

"Why? What do you mean you don't have time?" Callum asked.

"My time here is limited." Aarush said. "Do this and we'll have more time to talk; ask your questions then. For the moment…" Aarush trailed off, turning his face to the stars, and Callum did the same.

Callum knew he ought to be asking what was happening, but something in him refused to turn away. Th sky was as vast as ever, but now the stars spoke of hidden wonders far beyond their reach.

"Captivating, aren't they?" Aarush said, his voice calmer. "So far away. It makes one feel so small." Callum nodded. It was humbling; their worries, their joys, their very lives were so tiny in the scheme of things. "But it's all about perspective. This doesn't mean life isn't worth living, it just doesn't mean as much as you think it means. To the stars, at least. Everything, good and bad is only temporary. The good times need to be cherished and the bad times, usually, aren't the end of the world. Everything in life is just...for now."

Callum continued to watch, trying to see the farthest away of the stars, even knowing that those farthest stars were a small part of the cosmos. Still, he was confused; this wasn't like the other arcanums, but perhaps that was because the star arcanum was somehow above the others to start with. But if he didn't have some sort of epiphany…

"I told you, my time is limited." Aarush said, and Callum looked at him. "The stars aren't really known for dispensing information, at least not in a timely manner, but on the other side, you'll get the information you need. Remember; through the mirror, green cloth, wrap the key in it."

* * *

Callum awoke feeling refreshed. He found himself in a cave, tucked under a blanket. The smell of burnt wood filled his nose and a sudden burst of light caused him to wince and try to turn away as he forced himself up. Callum might have felt refreshed, but he had apparently been asleep a long time. His joints popped and strained. A small moan escaped this mouth.

"Callum!" Callum lazily accepted when Rayla and Ezran ran to him and hugged him tightly. He should have known the onslaught of affection wasn't over, because once they pulled away, he was forced – a bit harshly – back down by some small creature that was now sniffing at him and licking at his face. He tried not to wince at the lingering pain of his injury. It wasn't the worst pain of his life, but he had the feeling that if not for his connection to the sky arcanum, he'd be gasping for breath. When the thing was pulled off of him, Callum saw it. In Rayla's arms was a pinkish-purple baby dragon with big dark green eyes.

"Aw." Callum groaned in mock-disappointment. "What else did I miss?"

"Not much." Said Soren, coming over to them. He clapped Callum on the shoulder. "How are you feeling, Callum?"

"A little stiff. How long was I out?"

"You've been asleep for days." Rayla said. Callum looked surprised to hear this. "Claudia was about to hit Mira with a Fulminous spell and you –"

"I jumped in front of it." Callum finished, slowly, remembering. He lifted up the blanket to look himself over, seeing the redness on his bare torso and along his upper arms. He'd have to find a mirror to fully take in his injuries once they got home. Mirror. That's right, he thought to himself; now there was even more cause to go back to Novus. The mirror, the key, and a green cloth with the star rune on it.

Callum looked around. A small fire was providing light and warmth to the cave, there were four horses with large travel-packs sitting near them, Rayla's father was rising and Mira and Kiara were both still sleeping. Claudia was bound and looked at him, maybe surprised to see him awake. She turned away, whether in anger or shame was hard to say. His aunt and her commander were nowhere to be seen.

"Aunt Amaya and Commander Gren left early to gather food." Ezran told him before he had a chance to ask about it.

As if in response to this statement, Callum's stomach growled. He tried to laugh it off when Soren and Rayla gave him teasing looks. The baby dragon yipped happily, regaining Callum's attention.

"Callum, this is Kimaare." Ezran introduced. "She was born last night."

Callum gave her a scratch on the chin. So, this little thing was a star dragon. Callum stopped as he remembered. The star primal!

"I…" Callum paused, realizing that he was genuinely confused about something. "I think I've connected the star arcanum."

The expressions he received ranged from surprised to confused. "You think or you know?" Ezran asked.

"I have no idea." Callum said. "I can't explain it, but I…feel like something's different. If I knew any star magic, I could find out for sure." Going over his dream, he remembered the Key of Aaravos. Callum mentally slapped himself; duh. He dug the key out of his bag and pulled it to himself; the star rune shone.

"Aw, did someone forget his magic toy?" Rayla asked playfully and Callum responded with his own teasing look.

"Callum." Came Gren's voice and the next moment, Callum's still stiff muscles were now being thoroughly popped by his aunt's bone-crushing hug. As Gren ran to approach, Amaya pulled back. "How are you feeling?"

"Right now? Compressed." Callum half-joked. "But I am feeling okay enough to travel. I know we need to get ho –" Callum froze as he was again tackled in a hug. By Mira.

"Mira's been worried." Rayla told him. "It looks like that stupid stunt of yours finally got through to her. She's even been okay with Ezran and Amaya." Callum smiled down at the little girl, feeling a sense of triumph as he returned her embrace with one arm, and wrapping the other arm around Rayla. Rayla melted into the embrace, feeling so peaceful to finally be able to hold him again. The three of them made a sweet little picture to their audience sans an aloof Lain and bitter Claudia, for both of who, this was rather uncomfortable. Predictably, the moment was ruined by Soren, who seemed to have decided that this was almost too good of a picture.

"And you're absolutely sure she's not yours?" he asked. Callum and Rayla pulled away to send him looks that asked if he was kidding. Mira, meanwhile, left her spot from between them and made her way over to large berries, covered in frost; one of the more appreciated features of Xadian magic was the array of fruits that flourished in winter. Amaya and Gren had brought back three baskets full.

"We're sure, Soren." Rayla told him with a tone. "Time aside, I think I, of all people, would remember something like that."

"Well, we don't know." Soren defended. "Maybe halflings…grow really fast?"

Callum chuckled, and gratefully took the basket of fruit that Amaya practically shoved into his arms. Once they ate, they could finally talk about heading home, and he would find out what Aarush wanted.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So many beautiful words, but I found a couple of things. Kimaare (pronounced Kim-are-ay) has nothing to do with wishes and is actually an amalgamation of the Finnish words 'kimallus' and 'aarre', which mean 'sparkle' and 'treasure', respectively. While I would have liked to call her Twilight Sparkle and imagine all the facepalms you guys would do, I was looking for a name that fit with the motif of dragon names, a name that sounded cool and nebulous like the others. Review.


	32. Through The Glass

**Chapter Thirty-two: Through The Glass**

The band had been granted a smooth trip home in a matter of days and from this, there was definitely something to the tales of star dragons being lucky. The sun was low in the sky when Novus finally came into view. The plan had been laid out since the morning Callum woke up. Amaya, Gren and Soren went directly to the council building with Claudia in tow to report everything. Rayla, Ezran, and Lain took Kiara, Mira and Kimaare to Amaya's house, where Tiadrin was still waiting.

Callum was now observing himself in a mirror from the clinic. On his aunt's demand, he was forced to go to the medics to be looked over, even though he'd felt fine for days. His own intuition had proven right, because there was nothing for the doctors and nurses to do about it. The injury had already been treated, all of his vital signs were in order and it hadn't even acted up. The only thing of note he got from them was that the scar would, at the most, lighten up to a lighter shade of red and not become thin, raised white skin as most scars did. He would bare the scare for the rest of his life. Not wanting to have come here for what amounted to nothing, Callum had requested this mirror.

Now, he was taking in his new appearance; one massive red mark that couldn't have come from anything but lightening, capturing the shape flawlessly. The scar began between his stomach and chest, then reached outward to his stomach, chest, arms and neck. It was like a tattoo of red lightening on his pale skin. After asking for a moment of privacy, Callum quickly checked below his waist where, thankfully, his belt had seemed to do its impromptu second job and kept the spell from reaching below his pants. What he saw under his shirt was the entirety of the scar.

* * *

"Rayla!" her mothers cry was startling in its loudness after the peace of the early evening had gotten everyone into a bit of a doozey mood. The comfort of this was shattered when Lain, Mira and Kiara were led by Rayla and Ezran to the house they shared with Amaya, Soren and Callum, where Tiadrin remained. Rather than her husband, her escaped ward, the little girl or even the baby dragon, her eyes went directly to her daughter.

Rayla found herself in the tight embraces of her parents; her mother so happy to see her alive and well, and her father, perhaps, simply wanting to have both of them in his arms for the first time in months.

"We thought you were -" Tiadrin started, a happy cry in her voice. Her eyes were watering as she buried her fingers in her daughter's hair lovingly.

"Dead? Yeah, we heard." Rayla returned and led the others into the house. Kimaare was looking at everything too quickly to really be able to absorb everything, and in contrast, Mira kept to Rayla's leg, clinging to her as she entered this unfamiliar house. "I'll explain everything."

* * *

Soren had never thought he'd be looking at his sister through bars, yet there she was, in the single cell that had never known an occupant before. Opeli and Amaya had agreed it was needed just in case, though most people of Novus, himself included, hadn't seen the point. He guessed he'd been wrong. Amaya and Gren had managed to catch Opeli before she was to head home for the night and were now filling her in on the happenings of the past weeks in another room.

Claudia was sleeping now, and by the tears falling from her closed eyes, it seemed she had at least regained some semblance of life to her. She'd been catatonic since Aaravos did what he did. Eating and drinking just enough to keep the breath in her body and never talking. This was the first expression of emotion she had shown. Soren looked out the window. It was getting dark now. He'd come back tomorrow; maybe then she'd be willing to talk. Maybe now that Viren was gone, she's finally see sense.

* * *

It was a late, comfortable morning for most of them. Amaya had gotten her usual early start and Lain and Tiadrin had gone home last night. Callum and Ezran were taking Kiara, Mira and Kimaare up the Storm Spire, partly to see what could be done about this orphaned star dragon, and partly to clear Kiara's name. Soren and Rayla went to the council building to visit Claudia and see if she was up to speaking. Rayla wasn't thrilled with the idea, but Callum had said there was something more he needed at the top of the spire, and Ezran no longer held any affection for the woman; one didn't easily forget someone who, directly or indirectly, had tried to murder them. Rayla felt this last point was flimsy at best, but conceded, not feeling like talking in circles, so she had been made to go with Soren to see the guy's sister.

When they appeared in front of her cell, Claudia's eyes darted up to them before she lifted her head to look at them properly. It seemed she had stopped crying and only regarded them with contempt. Rayla returned a look of scorn but Soren kept his face neutral.

Rayla was the first to speak. "You almost killed him."

"It wouldn't have been a problem if you hadn't gotten it into his head that you elves are worth protecting." She returned coldly. Soren's blank expression was replaced with a reproachful frown. "Callum's sympathies are only with your kind because of you."

"Do you really think he's that simple-minded?" Rayla was outraged. "It wasn't because she's an elf, it was because she's a child who was in danger from you." This had been stewing in Rayla's mind ever since it happened, and she was relieved that Claudia was finally receptive to words and would hear her. Her initial anger at what had been done to Callum – her Callum – was a given, but Rayla surprised herself right now, realizing that she was also fuming over Mira herself. Mira was still so little and innocent, and herself and Callum were all she had in the world. They hadn't even gotten her to talk yet, and Claudia would have taken her away so easily. The elf's blood ran hot with anger at the thought.

Part of Soren wanted to lighten the mood with some wise crack. He thought better of it, with the fierce mood the elf was in right now, he doubted she'd apricate any joke he could come up with. In fact, it would probably be in everyone's best interest if he took the reins of this conversation for the moment. Give Rayla a chance to cool off, even if she had never been the type to do so. Rayla was about to start back up, so he covered her mouth.

"Claudia, I don't want to see you like this." He told her, and her rage-filled look was moved to him.

"You're a deserter!" She said with a slight growl. "You ran away with your tail between your legs and abandoned us, just like your mother. It should have been you that Aaravos…" she paused, the next word stuck in her throat. Her face was contorted in pain, but that was quickly lost to a look of anger. "You're nothing, Soren. You've always been the dim one, the follower, the second thought. The only thing you're good for is battle fodder. That's your job as a guard, isn't it, to get killed in battle?"

Soren and Rayla were silent. It was clear Claudia didn't mean it, she was just saying things that would hurt him. "Viren was sick, Claudia." Soren said with conviction. She seemed startled hearing Soren refer to their father by name. "He said he loved both of us and dropped me like a rock the moment I stopped following his plans. I bet he wasn't even upset, was he?" Claudia was quiet. She didn't want to confirm to Soren that, in fact, when she had reported his leaving, Viren had all but said 'good riddance'. She refused to give him such satisfaction. "And what about the Dragon Prince? He's just a baby and Viren took him from his mom. How can someone claim to love their own kids and be so ready to rip other families apart?" There was silence for a long while after this.

"Who cares?" she said, at last. "They're just elves and dragons." Something seemed to break in Rayla when she heard that. She went still and silent. How…how could anyone be so…how could she? Claudia watched as Rayla backed away a couple of steps as though she were in shock. Soren also watched, more concerned then his sister. Neither had ever seen the elf this way before. Rayla ran.

"Rayla, wait!" Soren called, but he didn't pursue. Rather, after hearing the door slam violently, he took a moment to send a furious look to Claudia, who looked at him with anger. Soren's face hardened as he turned and ran after her.

* * *

Mira and Kimaare's eyes grew wide upon seeing Queen Zubia. Mira backed up, hiding half-way behind Callum. Perhaps it was the scar on her face, making her look more dangerous than she was. Or it might have been the way Kiara was bowing lowly, looking like she was in trouble.

"Queen Zubeia," she began. "I am Kiara of the Moonshadow elves. I'm the only one left of the ten who hunted Rayla, and the mission is off. The rest are…dead."

"Rise and face me." The queen's voice was firm, but not angry. Kiara did, on slightly shaky knees, but she stood tall and put on a brave face regardless. "You've repented?"

"I have, Your Majesty." Kiara said, not knowing how she managed to keep her voice level. The queen gave her a court nod – perhaps an indication of acceptance of this. Forgiveness, maybe? "You Greatness, I think the elves of the Silvergrove have might not want me back. It's been so long."

"Then should Novus not be to you taste, there is a small band of Moonshadow elves living at the Moon Nexus." The dragon told her. "I believe this includes your father, Lykis. I'm sure he would be pleased to see you, and to see that you have, at last, come to your senses."

Kiara bowed again. "Thank you, Queen Zubeia. I'll…I'll think about it."

The queen then looked at the little ones in turn and with interest until Zym charged forward to greet them. Callum took Kimarre from her place on his shoulders and set her on the ground beside Zym. Seeing the two of them side by side, it was suddenly easy to see just how much Zym had grown; he just under twice the newborns size. He spread his wings and fluttered a short way over her, with her looking in wonder. His kind, sky dragons, commonly began flying within weeks of hatching, but Kimaare had yet to even unfurl her wings the full length.

Zym's playfulness must have been infectious because, little by little, Kimaare lost her shy demeanor and soon was joining him in play, their cries of joy filling the chamber as they ran around. "Remarkable." The queen said as she watched the hatchling now playing with her son. "Star dragons were a rarity even when they were around, so I've heard. That egg must have been down there for untold millenniums."

"Queen Zubeia, we apologize for putting such a huge choice on your shoulders, especially out of nowhere, but we can't keep Kimaare with us." Callum told him.

"Say no more." The queen interrupted; she knew perfectly well what he would ask next. She took a moment to look at Kimaare and Azymondias playing, with Mira seeming to have joined in, and it filled her heart with joy. "I'd be honored to take in the last of the star dragons. I truly would."

Callum and Ezran smiled for the moment before Mira and the pair of rough-housing baby dragons seemed to decide to involve them in their play and began running around their feet. Kimaare was taking full advantage of her smaller size, climbing up onto Callum where Zym couldn't really follow. She leapt back and forth between the brothers, who laughed at the two little dragon's antics, trying to avoid Zym's playful snaps.

When Callum tried to straighten himself out, Ezran and Kiara seemed to get the message and herded the little ones away from him so he might be able to speak with the queen properly. She looked at him, knowing he had something to say Callum produced the Key or Aaravos as he saw the mirror out of the corner of his eye. No going back now.

* * *

Rayla supposed her only option was the Storm Spire. She needed to talk to someone, although she wasn't even sure what it was she wanted. Advice? About what? Condolence? She wasn't a child. All she knew was that Callum and Ezran were the two to talk to; Soren, who she could hear calling her name and following her, would probably just try to say Claudia hadn't meant what she said or something blatantly untrue like that. Her parents already had enough issues with humans, it didn't seem smart to go to them with this.

"Rayla, hold on!" Finally, Soren caught up with her, mostly through the fact that she had been walking briskly while he'd been running. "I'm sure Claudia didn't mean it! She-she's probably just parroting something Viren said."

Rayla looked back at him, but before she could respond, something from the sky come down barreled into her, screaming her name. Within seconds she found herself constricted in the embrace of a Skywing elf, a bit older than herself, with a pair of familiar gray wings that melted into arms. Soren watched this silently, his heart spiking at seeing Zephyr. Eventually, Rayla was able to tug herself free to see her affectionate assailant.

"They said you two were dead!" Zephyr told her, happily.

"Just a slight exaggeration." Rayla said simply. "I just lost my swords. No idea how they got into Claudia's hands. Well, okay, I can believe that she killed the elf that took them." Recognizing the name, Zephyr turned to Soren, feeling happiness that along with her friends he was okay and back, but at the moment, her expression was questioning.

"My sister's been taken into custody in the village. Viren is dead." The casualty with which Soren said this, as easily as saying it would rain that night or some such piece of trivial information, would have shocked anyone who didn't know him and the nature of his and his father's relationship. Neither Zephyr or Rayla could really blame him.

"Callum's up at the spire." Rayla said. "I…I just need him to be with him right now."

By her tone, Zephyr knew this was on of those times when Rayla didn't want to be questioned. When she continued up the Storm Spire, Soren and Zephyr followed her, keeping close to each other. Silently at first, then they began talking. Soren began filling Zephyr in on the happenings of the past month or so, whether from memory or second-hand from Callum or Rayla, about Aaravos, Mira, Kimaare and everything else. Thankfully, this in itself didn't seem to upset Rayla, who just quietly listened to them.

* * *

Callum stood in front of the mirror, with the Key of Aaravos in hand. It was imitating a typical mirror and Callum beheld himself, much the same as he had been before he left, save for the scarf that he knew his clothes now hid. Off to the side, dragons, elves and Ezran all watched as Callum set a rune to the glass and mentally went over the list of instructions once more. Keep the key, find the green cloth with the star rune and wrap the key up with it. The mirror went its whitish color and taking a reassuring breath – he'd be able to come back, of course he would – he stepped through the mirror, the library appearing before him. Behind him, not a single eye was off of him as he disappeared through the glass.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** To be clear, star dragons are like Jinx from 2006 Teen Titans; they can manipulate probability in favor of whoever they're fighting for. Obviously to varying degrees if they went extinct. I find that to be a cool power and have been wanting to use it in something. Anyway, the inspiration for this chapter's title is one of my favorite songs, 'Through the Glass' by Stone Sour, parts of which really do remind me of Aaravos. Review.


	33. The Tale Of The Midnight Star

**Chapter Thirty-three: The Tale Of The Midnight Star**

Callum looked around, amazed. The walls were lined with packed bookshelves and huge, lavish windows from floor to ceiling. The walls and floor themselves were made of what looked like crystal, though it might have been polished, blue marble. The only other thing in the room was a simple desk and chair, which themselves were also somehow crystalline. Even growing up as a prince himself, Callum had never seen such luxury.

He looked behind him, seeing the same mirror, down to the runes flanking the glass, though this one was connected to the wall. Through it, it could see the chambers of the Dragon Queen, the shocked faces of all apart from her sending chills down his spine. More than those, was the grim look on the queen's face, as though she wasn't sure about any of this. She was resting on her belly and between her front paws were the two baby dragons. Ezran said something, but Callum couldn't hear it. He gave them what he hoped was a reassuring smile as he walked away from the mirror and began exploring.

Going through the door, he found that the other rooms were much the same as the entry point with the same crystalline structure that was at once pristine and barren. The castle he'd grown up in was large, too, but with the way the rooms were filled with everything from tables and chairs to decorations, most of the rooms felt cozy and lived in, like a home. This place was more like a museum, to the point where Callum couldn't shake the fact that he'd be scolded for touching anything. The only rooms that felt like part of a home were the two almost identical bedrooms, both of which sported large beds in the centers of the room, with large chests along the walls.

The thing that set the two bedrooms apart were the chests. One of those chests were laden with trinkets and a book sitting on it, the book itself having a horribly familiar rune on it, which Callum had only seen once before, yet would never forget. The rune for dark magic. This was enough to keep Callum from even touching the thing. Aside from that was a single red rose that might have been immortalized in glass or some kind of lukewarm frost, sitting alone in a vase with a pair of horn cuffs resting beside it, the kind Callum knew for a fact to be a symbol of marriage. Looking through the drawers, Callum found a colorful array of cloaks, which he quickly looked through for the green cloth with the star rune, finding nothing.

The other chest was almost bare save for another book, this one looking like a children's book. Picking it up and flipping to a random page, Callum saw a picture of a magnificent green-eyed black dragon. On the opposite page was text, and Callum quickly skimmed through, picking out words and phrases like 'brave human knights', 'King Saluto' and 'the beyond'.

Putting the book down, Callum looked through the drawers, which were just as empty as the top of the chest, being only a single thing was stored away which was…a small, deep green cloth, with a silver print of the star rune on it. Callum, glad this was as easy as it was, opted to set the key on the center of the bed before wrapping it in the cloth. It was seconds before light began seeping through the cloth. White, orange, purple, dark and light blue and green started out as a lovely little light show but quickly grew into a blinding light and forced Callum to close his eyes.

When the light died down, Callum saw Aarush, holding and looking at the key of Aaravos which now only had a faint glow rather than the shine it boasted outside the mirror. He looked at Callum, seeming to not really know what to make of him, which was fine with Callum because neither did he.

"I'm glad you decided to come, and thank you." He said.

"Aarush, what…" Callum started, realizing there was too much to ask. He decided to start at the beginning. "Are you alive? Queen Zubeia said going against your father cost you your life."

"I'm not, but I'm not really dead, either." He said. "Thanks to star magic, I was able to place part of my soul within my father's key, and the cloth was the trigger. Think of it like a soul jar. The stories of your era still have soul jars, right?"

Callum nodded. Many stories he'd been told as a child involved characters achieving something resembling immortality by placing pieces of their soul in something that they then guarded with their lives or hid away. This way, their soul could persist even after their body was killed, but Callum never imagined it could actually be done, even with magic.

"I knew my father was to be imprisoned, not killed, so there was always the chance that he could somehow make his way back to the other realm. So, I created this soul jar to preserve my spirit. That way, if he ever did get back to the living plan, I could come back myself, if only in this half form, and give what little information I could. I know Aaravos better than anyone. At least, I'd like to think so."

Callum prepared himself mentally for his second question, the one that had been gnawing at his mind for months. "Aarush, are you my ancestor? My name is Callum. Son of Queen Sarai and stepson of King Harrow of Katolis. Well, what used to be Katolis. I never knew my father, all I've got is that he was a soldier, and he has your eyes, which were passed on to me."

The half-elf looked to the ground for a moment before looking at him with regret. "I'm sorry, but I…don't know. The drawback of soul jars is that I'm barred from the afterlife. If I could go the afterlife, I would have been able to watch over my own children after I died, see where their lines led. As is, I don't know if any of them even had kids, I don't even know how long it's been."

Callum tried not to be annoyed at this anticlimactic answer; whoever Aarush was to him - ancestor or stranger who just happened to share a physical trait by chance - he was clearly unhappy about being separated from his family. He supposed this would be one mystery that was meant to remain so. Aarush went on.

"The only thing I do know is that I married a beautiful woman, the daughter of a powerful mage who, like me, didn't support her father's craft. We had three children. Once the youngest came of age, I returned to Xadia to assist the dragons in their time of need. My father was causing trouble. Killing elves and dragons.

Callum wandered over to one of the lavish windows and his eyes widened. Outside was a vast whiteness that didn't allow for distinction. There was no ground or sky, no scenery of any kind, just white. "What is this place?"

"Definitely not the realm of the living, that's for sure. Part of me wants to say it doesn't even have a name." Aarush said. "The only place here with any shape is the palace itself, and this was the home he created for himself after Elarion was destroyed and he went into hiding. He took my childhood home and morphed it into this palace. I think this was meant to be my room, for when I, as he put it, came to my senses.

"He used to be a kind man. He cared about humans and really liked them. Obviously, other elves and even some dragons like them, too, but most still looked down on them, and most of the kind ones were on the lower end of power anyway. The people of Elarion loved Aaravos; a powerful elven mage who protected them and didn't look down on them. Respected them as equals. They called him The Midnight Star. Maybe that's why so many of them were so zealous in his defense, eager to accept his 'gift'. When my mother died, he joined the Dragonguard for a while. It only lasted a couple of decades before he took off to become an archmage. When he came back, he…he was different. He took in a young apprentice named Ziard, a boy from our village who longed for power. He despised the dragons, accused them being cruel monarchs. I never saw the training, but Ziard was given a staff and declared a full mage after just six months. Father never told me how it happened so quickly, but soon enough I witnessed what I hesitate to call magic."

"Dark magic." Callum said knowingly, and Aarush nodded grimly.

"At first, I didn't want to believe that my father had anything to do with it, but when I confronted it, he only told me that humans were helpless without magic and would have faced extinction at the hands of the elves and dragons." He said. "When I brought up the old human mages, he told me not to be a fool, leaning on old children's tales."

Callum snickered, a rather bitter smile on his face. "It must have stung to see me, then."

"How's that?" Aarush asked, and Callum's smile became one of amusement as, just as on the pinnacle years ago, he quickly drew a rune and unleashed a Fulminous blast. It only vaguely occurred to him that, given recent events, maybe he should have been more reluctant to perform that particular spell, but he wasn't. He just enjoyed Aarush's look of amazement. The hafling's voice became one of wonder. "Then they're true. The stories."

"Well, yes and no." Callum clarified. "No one knows how I'm able to connect to arcanums. It's one of the reasons I think you might have been my ancestor. Aaravos seems to think so, too."

"Arcanums?" Aarush asked, his surprise giving way to wariness. "As in more than one?"

"Yeah, I've heard the warnings." Callum dismissed. "But I've already got four of the arcanums and haven't gone crazy yet. Just Ocean and Earth to go."

"Unusual sequence." Aarush commented. "Elves in my time sometimes chose to connect to a second arcanum including the one they were born with, but I can guess that fell out of practice when my father did the things he did. Generally, two primal sources were the most anyone felt comfortable with, any more than that and you risk going mad with power."

"My temper's been getting the better of me more than usual since my third arcanum, but nothing as major as that had happened." Callum defended. Aarush didn't look comforted.

"If you're a true human mage, then he must be after you." He said. "You'll probably do well to know a thing or two about dark magic. Mainly, no dark magic spell exists on its own, every dark spell has a primal counterpart."

"Even the one that brought Viren back?" Callum asked. When Aarush looked at him strangely, Callum explained about Viren and Soren's very now very likely explanation of how he had returned after falling from the pinnacle of the Storm Spire.

"That's more star magic. The primal spell does not resurrect the dead, it temporarily revives them for a few moments and only the freshly dead. It's meant to be for final words or goodbyes and can only be done once per subject. I've heard casting it on the lake at the Moon Nexus will allow you to converse with spirits of the long dead, though the restrictions still apply. It is said to be a difficult spell, in which the runes and incantation are not enough, and the caster must want the revival with all their heart."

Immediately, Callum thought of his parents, but shoved it into the back of his mind. There was no time for that now, he'd have to wait until everything was over.

"You said you've mastered all but two primal sources?" Aarush said.

"Well, not exactly mastered." Callum admitted sheepishly. "I've connected to the arcanums, but I only know some sun magic and I don't even know where to start with star magic. I've only mastered sky and moon magic."

"I see." The half-elf said. "Cast Historia Vaventium. There are a few things you'll need to see." Callum did so, but before the spell could take effect, Aarush spoke an unfamiliar incantation and drew and equally unfamiliar rune before Aarush placed his hand on Callum's forehead. Callum was perplexed as the two spells seemed to combine and he watched with interest at what would happen. He didn't even know it was possible to combine different spells.

Callum found himself and Aarush in vast canyon. He imagined this was the work of that nameless spell the half-elf had cast just after Callum's own spell. No matter how many dragons Callum saw or became acquainted with, the creature's majesty never ceased to amaze him. The three before him were again magnificent beings. Not as large as sky dragons, but larger than moon dragons. First and foremost was the largest of the trio of grown dragons; a pitch-black creature with glowing dark green eyes and massive horns that reached farther out from his skull that any other dragon Callum had seen so far. The horns resembled a deer's antlers with how many branches each sported, at least six on each horn. His large, flowing mane ran down his neck and chest like a lion's mane, studded with specks that resembled stars. On either side of him were two more impressive dragons, his eyes immediately drawn to the smallest of the group, not very much smaller then the noble black one. A female by the more elegant frame. His mind immediately went to Kimaare with this adult's pinkish-purple hide and array of colored speckles going down her spin. She and her companion, a similarly colored male only just taller than her, also had impressive frilling horns, though they lacked manes.

"Callum, meet King Saluto. The first Dragon King." Aarush said. "He, his mate Queen Lux and her brother Noctis are said to have brought humans, elves and their fellow dragons to Xadia from the other lands."

"Other lands?" Callum asked. He had never heard of such a thing, as far as he was concerned, Xadia had simply been their land from the beginning of time."

"Do the people of your time not know this story?" Aarush asked. "Granted, different sources have different beginnings. Some say it was a famine that drove them out of the other lands, others say they were the last survivors of a massive war, others that the land itself had become too inhospitable. All anyone knew was that King Saulto saved them, and so was made the king of all creatures on Xadia. He, along with his mate and her brother, were the last of the star dragons."

"So, they were Kimaare's parents?" Callum asked. He wasn't sure is Aarush knew who that was, so Callum explained briefly of the newborn star dragon who's egg had been recovered and hatched, and who sported a certain semblance to both the king and queen of this ancient time. They both enjoyed the fact that Kimaare had been granted a second chance at her birthright as the newly adopted daughter of the current Dragon Queen.

"It's rather likely." Aarush said, and Callum was at least glad that someone's ancestry could be revealed in full. "I've heard tell that they bore an egg that was lost in an earthquake. Queen Lux was heartbroken. Star dragons are said to live an eon, but an eon still isn't forever. The world was counting on the hatchling to take its parents' rule when their time came. Eventually, King Saluto decreed that, should the Dragon King not have an heir to take his place, he will be succeeded by an archdragon of his choosing. King Saluto selected a young ocean dragon named Aequor to take his thrown upon his death."

King Saluto stood on a cliff and let out a loud bellow, unfurling his vast wings, the webbing of which were a deep purple, also dotted with stars. Callum even thought he saw a couple of constellations in those wings. The roar echoed throughout the canyon, causing a rockslide. The scene changed.

Callum and Aarush beheld Aarush himself, looking a bit older than he did on the none-living plain. He was in the presents of the mirror, along with the huge, looming figure of Zym's father. Callum, having never seen King Avizandum with this own eyes, committed the impressive form to memory. It was no wonder his people had regarded him as a monster in the past, as he seemed far more dangerous now then any other dragon Callum had seen, including the vengeful Sol Regem or the unfriendly Rex Igneous.

"Aarush, are you sure you are willing to do this?" Avizandum asked. Callum was shaken by the low, booming voice, knowing immediately why the humans had named him 'Thunder'.

"I am." The Aarush of the past nodded. "I have gotten my affairs in order. My family knows I won't be coming back, and we've said our goodbyes. If my father is truly too powerful to kill, then I'll do what I must to see to it that his crimes don't go any farther."

"Aaravos had slain King Aequor in his sleep along with what must have been at least a hundred powerful elven mages and royals, and with it, declared war on the dragons and elves." Aarush said. "When word reached me, I had to come back. I only left with the humans to the west because they accepted me, while the elves shunned me, both in light of who my father was to them. To the humans, Aaravos was a hero, a beckon of greatness that had given them a chance to survive. To the elves, Aaravos was a monster who messed with the natural order of things for his own benefit. I felt both of these views passed on to me, but I never enjoyed how the humans almost worshiped my father after the split. I'm sure they thought I had gone to Xadia to defend my father and the dragons had slain me, too."

The scene changed, and from there it was like reading a story or watching a well-acted play. The Aarush from the past seemed to have made a journey to a northern religion that was heavy with snow. Nestled at the end of a mountain pass was a truly beautiful crystalline castle. The past Aarush knocked on the door and waited a moment before Aaravos answered it, looking truly surprised. Aaravos let Aarush inside, father and son walking through the place and talking, about how Aaravos was glad Aarush had come to his senses and came to his side. When Aarush produced the Key of Aaravos under the guise of reminiscing, it gave him the opening to slip away, and Callum could imagine it was to place the cloth in his room. Aarush silently came back before Aaravos realized he had been gone, and the next moment the façade broke as the key shone with blinding lights. Aarush ran to the library, pursued by a furious Aaravos, who demanded the name of the dragon who had put him up to this, and Aarush answered; the new king, Avizandum. Aarush hurriedly muttered something to the mirror, causing it to go white for a moment, in which he through the key through the glass, which it phased through.

A blinding flash overtook everything. When the light died down, Aarush was gone. Aaravos got up, walked over to the window and looked out, seeing the shapeless, white void outside in place of the snowy mountains. Heading back to the mirror, he saw in it, not himself, but the relieved faces of King Avizandum and a collection of elves. Aaravos was captured.

The visons ended and Callum had to sit on the bed. Aarush, again looking youthful and pristine, looked uncomfortable. "Callum, my time is short again. This physical form I have is only temporary."

Callum looked at him. "What'll happen to you?"

"I'll finally get to go on." Aarush said. "I only kept this sliver here in case Aaravos had come back, and all I was planning to do was inform whoever stumbled upon me of what his plans are. Maybe if you know what he's doing, you can find a way to stop him for good. He wants to whip out the dragons and more powerful elves. It's a thirst for power disgusted as fondness for humans."

Callum nodded. "And me?"

"Take what you've learned and apply it. Come up with a plan using what you saw." Aarush told him. "Opening up the mirror in the usual way will get you home, but I doubt Father will fall for the same trick twice, so I don't know how useful it will be in that way." Aarush stopped and looked at Callum for a moment, who then noticed that he was growing translucent. "Callum, I'm fading. Remember what I said, and just so you know," Aarush gave the human a fond look. "no matter what the case, I would be honored to call you my descendant."

A warmth flooded Callum's heart before Aarush faded completely, leaving him along again. Callum quietly took the cloth the key from the bed. He would take the cloth and the children's book back with him, no sense in keeping either of them there any longer. With the book and cloth under his arm and the key in his hand, Callum returned to the mirror after a bit on confused wandering – these halls were very numerous – and once again passed through the mirror back into the living world.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Phew, this was a long one, but actually quite easy to write, and just as fun. And I've also thought about how Aaravos claims he doesn't know what the space behind the mirror is; he knows it's his own palace, what he meant was that he didn't know the realm he was trapped in. Also, really sorry about the anti-climax about Callum being Aaravos's descendant, it was always supposed to left up to the imagination, so we won't be getting a straight answer in the story itself. Review.


	34. Until Spring

**Chapter Thirty-four: Until Spring**

Soren hadn't been kidding when he had told Callum and Rayla that everyone back home thought they were dead. Callum in particular was nearly swamped with the delighted squeals of the children and gaggle of flirtatious young women expressing their relief. It wasn't often that Rayla needed to physically step in to tame the crowd, but it was necessary now. Callum was by no means unaware of his popularity with the girls of the village, and perhaps to reassure Rayla that there was nothing to worry about – he was hers alone and would happily remain so for as long as she wanted him – he wrapped his arms around the elf and kissed her head, telling their audience how he would never be whole again if he lost her. This display of affection not only seemed to do its job of deterring any love-struck teenagers who walked away in resignation and disappointment, but also scared away the kids; heroes or not, kissing was still gross.

A witness to their little act that neither had known about had been Lain, who watched the couple closely as, in the absents of the crowed, their embraced lessened to holding hands before they wandered off to some place or the other in the village.

When the pair approached the house, they were confused by the sounds of hammers coming from the upstairs windows; had something happened here while they had been gone? Apparently bursting into the house the way they did caught Amaya's attention as well, as she and Gren came from Rayla's room, also looking ready for a fight. This aggressive demeanor was dropped when Callum and Rayla froze and the two pairs looked at one another for a moment, each in confusion. Sensing the danger had passed, Callum and Rayla continued up the stairs, joined his aunt and her second in command outside of Rayla's room and looked in, to where the hammering, once paused, had resumed for a short time, and then stopped.

A pair of carpenters where working by the opposite wall of Rayla's bed, now checking the sturdiness of what looked like a second bed. Nearby, against the wall, was the appropriate dressing for a bed such as mattress, a blanket and a pillow. At the foot of the construction was a large but simple wooden box with its lid on hinges which were currently being checked by the second carpenter as the first walked over to get the mattress.

"What's happening?" Callum asked.

"For Mira." Gren said, translating Amaya's signs. Upon meeting Mira at the top of the Storm Spire and hearing everything they'd gone through, Ibis said that the best thing for her would be to stay with Callum and Rayla, at least for the time being. This was a great opportunity to give the child some stability for once. If she wasn't reeling from so many changes, then she would likely be more receptive to her new family when it became time to place her, so for now she'd be staying at the house; Ibis had said perhaps until springtime, a decent window of time to calm down. "If she's staying with us, she'll need a real place to sleep, not just on the couch."

"Right." Callum told her, raising an eyebrow the box at the foot of a bed in particular. He smirked, having the faintest suspicion that his aunt had an ulterior motive for that box; when they had been little, the woman had spoiled him and Ezran with endless presents and games, especially before his mother's death, before she had to buckle down and become an authority figure in her sister's place, and that box looked just the right size to hold a petting zoo of stuffed animals. Yep, Mira would be well taken care of here.

"Where is she now?" Rayla asked.

"Ezran, Soren and Zephyr took her to the marketplace." She signed, and again, Gren translated. "I told them to be back before sundown." For the next couple of minutes, they watched in silence as the bed came together; a simple, comfortable bed with a soft pillow, a warm red blanket and a toybox at its foot. Callum had hung her now empty bag on one of the back posts and had put its contents of small, blunt weapons in the toybox.

The smile in Mira's face could have powered a city for a day. She was still selective about who she expressed affection for, but now it seemed this tiny circle had grown by two people, those being Amaya for the bed and Zephyr who, at the market, had beaten the woman to getting the child her first toy. They had come back about an hour after the carpenters had left, Mira coming back with a taste for jelly tarts thanks to Ezran, and a stuffed shadowpaw in her arms.

* * *

The view of the outside from a window told Claudia that night was falling. It was perhaps the single stupid thing her father had ever done to trust an elf. This memory only served to reinforce Viren's words that elves were incapable of true loyalty. This was why she didn't regret what she said, at least in regards to the elf. But she shouldn't have said what she said to Soren. Being all alone, she needed someone to help. Maybe she could get Soren back on her side once she got out of here, which she would. She just needed to wait for the right creature.

* * *

For the first time since she could remember, Mira fell asleep completely at peace. Warm, safe and not wondering what tomorrow would be like. In her arms was the shadowpaw Zephyr had gotten her, which had quickly become her most cherished possession. Her sleepy mind was filled with images of star dragons and an epic journey. Callum hadn't exactly meant for the book he had retrieved from the mirror to be used for this, it had simply not felt right to leave it abandoned in some other realm. Maybe he could have gained more knowledge from it, given it to a history museum or something but using it as the story book it was was fine, too. In any case, Mira had seemed to like it and fell asleep quickly.

Taking a moment to tuck her in a little more securely, Callum walked over to the bedside table beside Rayla's bed and placed the book beside a lantern. He snuffed out the light and the room went dark save for the moonlight spilling in through the window, before quietly slipping out of the room and gently closing the door.

Callum descended the stairs, where everyone else was still awake. It appeared that Rayla had been trying to convince the others that she and Callum needed to head out again tomorrow, only to be met with nothing but protests. It seemed that he couldn't show up quickly enough to come to her aid.

"You just got back!" Ezran protested. "At least stay a week or something."

"We only came back to drop Mira and the Kimarre off somewhere they'd be safe, we were never going to stay." Rayla seemed like this had been just going in circles for the last two minutes. "We need to get out there. As long as Aaravos is out there, we're still putting you all in danger."

"Especially now," Callum said. "Aaravos isn't trying to get me on his side anymore, I'm not safe myself."

"Well, then I'm coming this time." Ezran said with whatever authority he felt he had. Callum and Rayla looked at each other tiredly and Amaya didn't seem to like the idea either.

"Ez, no." Callum told him. "It's still too dangerous, and it'll probably only be a couple more months anyway. We'll probably be back before spring."

"I can take care of myself." Ezran said. "And you even have one less enemy hunting you, Sirus and his group are gone."

Soren sighed, wanting to end this already tired back and forth. "Look, how about Ezran can come if I come, too? You two can do your primal magic thing, he can go on his little adventure and I'll keep him safe. Everyone's happy."

Amaya thought this over for a moment before she began signing. Gren interpreted; "On one condition. I'll go out tomorrow and rent a messenger crow. I am to receive one letter every week you're gone detailing your progress until you return. If even one week is missed, I'm coming to find you."

"Deal." Ezran said, eager to finally get back out on an adventure. Callum and Rayla exchanged a defeated look. At least someone a couple of months away from turning thirteen would be easier to look after then a small child and baby dragon.

* * *

The night air was freezing, but the patrol had to be carried out. Lain's keen eyes, which were ideal for this job of nightly patrol, scanned the areas he entered thoroughly. It was his luck, then, that the intruder was given away by sound before sight. Lain immediately pinpointed its location and gave chase. Well, chase for a mere seven feet at the most before Lain overtook the stranger and sent him to the ground with his polearm. It was Amer, glaring up at him.

"What do you think you're doing back here?" Lain asked with venom in his voice.

"How can you hold you head high as a Moonshadow elf while defending them? You saw them kill one of your own before your very eyes!" Amer countered, avoiding the question.

"Sirus' death was his own doing." Lain said. "If he had stayed where he was, the dark mage wouldn't have attacked." Amer continued to glare at him, but the façade quickly crumbled when the Moonsahdow elf lifted his polearm, positioning one of the scythes just over Amer's heart, draining any semblance of courage. "Wait! That Callum!" Lain watched him closely, though he didn't lower the polearm. Whatever he felt about the boy, this was a different matter. "I can help you get rid of him."

Lain was outraged at the sheer nerve of this pathetic little wretch. "You dare insult my honor?"

"What I say can't be any more dishonorable then having a human lover for a daughter!" This, it turned out, might have been the single least intelligent thing to possibly say. Amer found his throat being pressed by the sharp end if the scythe and Lain's face saying, quite plainly 'your next words will determine whether you die her or at your sister's hands'. All it would take is a single decisive push, and it would be over for him. Panicking, his mouth ran wild. "You know as well as I do that it's dishonorable, he's one of them!"

'_He's one of them.'_ This stunned Lain. He had said that very same thing. This moment of hesitation was what Amer needed to escape and he produced something from his ratty cloak that surprised Lain – a sun primal stone. Before Lain could process this, a flash of light blinded him. The flash alerted the others on patrol who came to the elf's aid, but by the time anyone got to him, Amer was gone.

Lain, effectively blinded for the next few hours, allowed himself to be escorted home for the night; General Amaya wouldn't have expected a blinded scout to continue on duty. This wasn't a cause for alarm, they all knew his sight would be back by morning. Along the way, though, Amer's words – his own words – rang in Lain's head. _'He's one of them'_.

* * *

Somehow, Callum went to sleep knowing Aaravos would invade his dreams that night. He had fallen asleep looking at the bedside drawer that contained the precious key, which he had been relieved to find still worked after the trip in the mirror and the departure of Aarush or whatever it was that had happened. Set carefully beside it was the green cloth with the star rune on it – a keepsake, if nothing else. Had the temperature outside been more agreeable, Callum would have gone outside to search for Aarush among the stars, as was an old elven superstition Rayla had told him about years ago. As sleep overtook Callum, he imagined the joy Aarush must be feeling right now to finally be reunited with his – possibly their, he reminded himself, for once not feeling horrified at the notion – family.

When Callum began to dream, he was already on edge.

"Aaravos, I know you're here." Callum told the air.

"My, my, aren't we feisty tonight?" His voice came from behind him.

"I've been though the mirror." Callum told him. "I've met Aarush."

"Aarush?" Callum felt a glimmer of satisfaction seeing that Aaravos had truly not been expecting that and looked genuinely suprised.

"He created a soul jar to preserve himself in the mirror, somewhere you'd never find him." Callum informed. "It was only to tell me things about your past, after that he moved on."

"I see." Aaravos said, the surprise on his face quickly giving way to that same calculating smirk Callum was already familiar with. "And what have you found out?"

"You lived among the humans of Elarion, who saw you as a hero; a powerful elf who cared about them." Callum said. "You had an apprentice named Ziard and taught him to dark magic."

"And so, he taught the others." Aaravos finished. "Aarush was always a clever boy, if short-sighted. He never did see the beauty of the darkness."

"I asked him about our relation." Callum said. "He didn't have an answer, but he helped me regardless."

"Well, I suppose some secrets are simply meant to be." Aaravos shrugged coolly. "Tell me, son," Callum flinched at the word. "how far have you come in your quest as an archmage?"

"I've connected to the sun and star arcanums, but I haven't mastered them. I only have ocean and earth to go." At the elf's raised eyebrow, Callum explained. He has chosen for forgo the guarded answers tonight; he had the feeling that, for once, he wasn't in danger. Perhaps it was the knowledge that even if he could master the remaining two primal sources, he was still up against a being with untold centuries more experience than him. Seeing Aaravos in that vision allowed Callum to realize just how old and powerful the elf was; there was little point anymore in keeping secrets, at least on that front. "I don't know how much time we have left, so I've been focusing on connecting to the arcanums as fast as I can, then I'll learn every spell I can to defeat you."

"How precious." Aaravos responded, his words condescending, as though he were watching a small child playing pretend. It was quite possible that this was really what the ancient elf felt like he was seeing. "Well, I give you four months, five at the most. I have collected all but on of the arcanums. The sky arcanum will have to wait until spring, for the first thunderstorm of the year, when sky magic is its strongest. They might have stripped me of my powers, but the knowledge of spells were not lost; and am still a master. In the meantime, make it known to all at the Storm Spire that I will not hesitate to slay all who get in my way on that day. Afterword, I will be back to my former glory, and continue my work. And, Callum, with the whole Sol Regem debacle alone, I do believe that I would have more sway in this era then I have had before."

"Five months." Callum repeated grimly. The elf smirked at him in a silent taunt. He had less then half a year – at the very most – to connect to two arcanums and master four different types of magic. The sky and moon arcanums alone had taken up the better part of two years. How was he supposed to even begin to prioritize one over the others?

Callum awoke in his bed to the nearly white sky. There was now ice on his window. In the moment, Callum decided while the others got ready to go, he'd go to the Storm Spire and warn Queen Zubeia and the Dragonguard of Aaravos and how he would attack the Storm Spire – the Sky Nexus – during the first thunderstorm of spring.

* * *

Claudia couldn't believe her luck. How could she have forgotten that the vermin around here were still Xadian creatures, every last one teeming with magic? Since this cell seemed to have been kept reasonably neat until her capture, there wouldn't be mice or rats scurrying about, but a fat black spider with a blue crescent on its back. As she crushed the thing in her hand, she muttered an illusion spell that would allow her to escape. Her first stop, the General's house.

* * *

Callum, Rayla, Ezran, Soren and Zephyr, who now joined them as a 'surprise team member', as she called it were now at the edge of the village, with Umbra ready to, once again, fly them a safe distance away. Soren certainly wasn't complaining about the last-minute tag-along. Mira was a bit less than happy to see her guardians go, but she wasn't putting up as much of a fuss as Ezran had the first time. Amaya still didn't like the fact that Ezran was leaving with his brother; on her demand, a messenger crow was on Rayla's shoulder.

Callum signed to his aunt, also speaking out load. "We'll be back by spring. I promise." Amaya's answer to this was to hug her eldest nephew; a true hero in every sense. Once the last of them boarded, Umbra took to the sky once more.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Now we have a limited time before the big boss fight! In my mind, this is taking place in late November, early December, so early in winter, and the first storm of the year will be sometime in May, so that's where the numbers four and five come from. Review.


	35. The Sea Of Fluctus

**Chapter Thirty-five: The Sea Of Fluctus**

Rayla was uncomfortable with where the moon dragon had landed them, as well as frustrated that she couldn't even be mad at him for it. Umbra was only trying his best to help, she knew, it wasn't his fault. Stretching before them was a wide sea.

Callum and Zephyr were currently in the air to scout out the area, mostly in search of some kind of landmark to get more precise bearings. One thing was for sure; the Storm Spire was nowhere in sight from here. Still, Rayla knew where they were in a general sense, and she told Soren and Ezran so; this place was called the Sea of Fluctus, Fluctus being the capital city of the Tidebound elves. Indeed, there was a pinprick of something hovering on the horizon. Ezran was regarding the now reserved and nervous Rayla with sympathy, Soren with a mixture of concern and curiosity. He had heard she despised and even feared water, and at the time he had teased her over it which only earned himself a punch in the nose and scolding from Callum and Ezran, but he had never seen it with his own eyes before. It was almost strange to him, seeing her this way.

Rayla kept her eyes off of the water and held her arms. The vastness of the sea was chilling the air to even colder temperatures then were back home. She tried to put the feeling of not being safe out of her mind, she knew she was safe with Callum, Ezran and Soren here. At least this time, they had had the sense to leave Bait at home.

"Rayla." Callum's voice startled her out of her reverie, and she found herself wrapped securely in his wings, in which she immediately felt safer and warmer. He and Zephyr had returned without her noticing. "We don't have to connect to the ocean arcanum now. We can go find an earth mage and –"

"No." Rayla said, her voice shaky but somehow also sure. "The travel alone would take too much time. You said it yourself, we have less than half a year to do this, the more time devoted to learning the spells, the better. Besides, I'd really rather just get it out of the way now."

After a moment, Callum realized there was little part in trying to argue, all he needed to do was keep her safe. Of course, that would probably start with keeping himself and the others out of trouble.

* * *

Claudia couldn't believe her luck. The book was still here! Water damaged from the snow and frost, but still legible. She had retreated back to the old cave, where she had left her book of dark spells, forgotten in the battle that had driven them out. The book had been hidden by a concealment spell that would only be canceled by her own hand, so a stranger couldn't stumble upon it. It seemed that something or someone else had been in here since then because the carcass of the Sunfire elf was gone. No matter, as long as no one spotted her now. She opened the book and skimmed through the pages pertaining to sky magic. It wasn't long before she found what she was looking for.

There was a dark counterpart for those mage wings of Callum's which would cut down on travel significantly. She supposed it was time to restock her supplies. She already had a couple of moon-spinners – spiders that contained moon magic – in a small glass jar that would allow for invisibility, along with a few strands of hair from the elf's pillow, which is why she had snuck into the General's house while they had been saying their goodbyes; Soren had mentioned in passing one day that they all lived together in the village. She supposed she was going rogue now, to kill that elf and free Callum, Ezran and anyone else under her spell. Hopefully, at least; it hurt, but she had to face the possibility that maybe Callum couldn't be saved anymore. It was the one thing she hadn't agreed with her father on; she had to at least try to save them one last time. And if Aaravos thought he could interfere, she would gladly die before allowing him the privilege.

It looked like she'd be needing the feathers of a Xadian songbird next, as she looked up the spell for dark mage wings. As if in an act of providence, such a bird perched itself outside, even warbling a little tune to announce its presence. It was a lovely little creature, with black and white stripped feathers, and would serve her well. For a moment, Callum's words about dark magic entered her head, about how it could be done without poaching and indeed, the tracking spell Claudia was using depended on shedded hair rather than any severed body part. Perhaps the feathers of this bird wouldn't require – no, she forced that thought out of her head. Humans couldn't afford to be picky about where the magic came from, not with the elves and dragons pushing them to extremes so quickly. That was her second quest; as soon as she slew the elf and either freed her friends or put them out of their brainwashed misery, she would continue her father's work.

* * *

General Amaya had been good enough to give Lain the day off, just in case he needed extra time to recover from the flash from last night. The rest of them would be on alert today, keeping their eyes peeled for Amer. His vision was perfectly fine, but he appreciated the rest none-the-less; Amer's words still plagued him. It almost felt disgusting that he might agree with that cowardly little thing on anything. Now he was contemplating it, looking out of their sitting room window, maybe in the hopes of something more to occupy his mind. Not that there was any real shortage of things to think about.

Did he really come off like he would hand Callum to that joke on elf-kind? That he would ever tolerate those hideous words against his daughter? Lain didn't really hate the boy, he was a fine young mage and it was truly remarkable that he could do it all without either dark magic or a primal stone. He was always unfailingly polite and unassuming, and Lain at least admitted this much to himself; Callum treated Rayla with as much dignity and courtesy that any father could hope for in his daughter's suitor. He lamented, not for the first time, that Callum should even be a human; if only he were a Moonshadow elf, or at least an elf in general, he would be absolutely perfect for Rayla. But he wasn't, he was a human. It was unbecoming of a young Moonshadow elf to go all misty-eyed over a human, of all things. No matter how miraculous his abilities were, a human was a human.

"Lain?" his wife's gentle voice entered his ears moments before he found himself embraced from behind. Lain smiled to himself; Tiadrin's pregnancy was making her affectionate today. He looked to his side to see a pair of young green eyes looking up at him questioningly. For the time being, Mira would be spending her days with Tiadrin on days when Amaya couldn't be home. Not that Lain minded, he just took one of his wife's hands and kissed it before she pulled him to sit on the coach with her. Mira joined them, and the couple snuggled closely, her head on his shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tiadrin asked. And so, Lain told her about Amer's words and why he couldn't get them out of his head.

"Well, it got me thinking." He started. "Have you ever seen her so happy unless she's with him?"

"Not since she was little." Tiadrin admitted. "But this is a new world, my love. A new time. We've both heard what that old line of thinking can lead to." Lain nodded before he sighed.

"I just…a human." He stated.

"I think Ethari might have the right idea." Tiadrin told him. "He isn't any fonder of humans than Runaan, but he also has a point that Callum seems to make Rayla happy." Lain took a moment to look at Mira, who tilted her head in a silent question. He had seen it with his own eyes, how the human had risked his life to save this little one, and moreso how she and Rayla had each fretted over him in the following days. His daughter was utterly devoted to this boy, for whatever reason. From that, he resigned himself; no matter what he thought, that stubborn girl of his was not leaving him any time soon.

"Okay." Lain said at last, his outward appearance far less certain then his new conviction. "When they return in spring, I'll talk to him." Tiadrin smiled and kissed him, looking forward to finally being able to put this whole mess behind them, even if it would be months in the meantime, at least it was something.

* * *

"So how are we going to get to the city?" Ezran asked, noting the complete lack of boats.

"We already thought about it when we were in the sky." Zephyr told him.

"We flew to the city and had some transportation arranged." Callum said. "It should be here any minute."

"Transportation?" Soren questioned, thinking that it didn't sound like a typical boat. Callum tightened his grip on Rayla, who was already looking green.

"We thought about this, too." He said to her. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. Zephyr will stay with you on the sore while Ezran, Soren and I go to Fluctus. We'll be back before dark."

Rayla wanted to protest; it was her job to stay with him on Queen Zubeia's orders, the last time they separated ended up with her being taken captive by human-hating rebel elves, she just didn't want to be away from him. Instead, all that came out of her mouth was "I love you."

She leaned comfortably back into Callum as he kissed her on the cheek. An amazed gasp from Ezran caught their attention. His, Soren's and Zephyr's eyes were on the sea, the eyes of the former two stretched in amazement.

It was a group of four creatures, one of which bore a rider while the other three were unoccupied. The rider was a Tidebound elf, the cyan of a clean river with wisps of something or other protruding from various points on his body. The Tidebound elves had been questioned on this and many other things during the construction of Novus, and they had seemed happy and answer; those wisps were like the whiskers on a large fish, they helped to judge the elf's surroundings in deeper waters, where there was little light. They had all seen Tidebound elves before, obviously, the thing that held Soren and Ezran's attention were the steeds he had brought for them.

They were beautiful creatures, with the lithe, slight shape of deer. Their horns looked similar to those of the elf, that is to say they blended perfectly into their skulls. The creatures were an array of colors, blue, light green, white and even a russet-colored one, though the puffs of fur on each of their chests was pure white. The most stunning thing about these magnificent beasts, however, was how they did not wade through the water. They did not even sift gracefully through the water. No, they bounded atop the surface as easily as if their small hooves were striking solid stone, leaving only ripples in their wake.

These creatures were named, appropriately enough, ripplebounders. At some point or another, Callum, Rayla and Zephyr had all seen their wild brothers at a distance playing on lakes, rivers and other wetlands, but none of them had ever seen one up close. Even Rayla could momentarily forget her fear in the face of these animals.

"Greetings, travelers." The Tidebound elf said. "My name is Arro. We've been expecting your arrival for some time now, White Mage."

"Uh, Callum is fine." Callum said, raising a hand. Arro nodded and the girls watched as the boys entered the shore into a few feet and mounted the ripplebounders. Callum looked back at Rayla and was relieved to see that cute, sassy smirk on her face instead of fear.

"You're going to behave yourself, right?" she asked, teasingly. "Because remember, I'm the one with the crow." As she said this, the messenger crow, which had been on Ezran's shoulder flew off and landed on the Moonshadow elf's outstretched hand as if it were on some sort of signal. Probably just a well-trained bird. "I'm sure your aunt would love to hear all about whatever trouble you get into."

"I'm petrified." Callum responded fondly, smiling at her.

Seeing the banter, Soren locked eyes with Zephyr, who looked alert, but no other emotion was visible on her face. It had been a busy day. "Hey, Zephyr, we need to talk when we get back, okay?" Zephyr would be annoyed with herself for the rest of the day that the brief nod was all she managed. Why in the world couldn't she speak?

"Okay, if we don't break this up now, we're going to be here all day." Ezran said, and Callum and Rayla smirked at him before the four, at last, turned around and the ripplebounders began making long, graceful leaps across the sea's surface.

Zephyr sighed, her smile falling. She shouldn't have kissed Soren. It just scared him and made things awkward. Embarrassment flushed on her face when Rayla turned to her and asked; "What?" Oh, by the primal sources themselves, did she seriously say that out loud.

* * *

Claudia decided that she couldn't use the spell that involved climbing the tallest mountain in the land. That would be the Storm Spire, a risk she obviously couldn't take. There were several other tracker spells, though none were as powerful or long lasting as the tracking spell she had used to find Callum and Ezran years ago. Now that she thought of it, maybe a huge arch in the sky with a lightshow wasn't the best for laying low in the first place.

So, this lesser spell would have to do, that would only take the hairs supplied and give a brief indication of the direction the owner of the hair was in, acting more like a temporary compass. Beyond that, actually finding the elf would be up to Claudia. The spell was complete and a short, green light flew south, and that was all Claudia would get.

Claudia took the two feathers, one in each hand. She'd been spared the job of catching and killing the bird because these down feathers had been shed. In her pockets were several other feathers just in case. She faced south, spreading her arms and spoke the incarnation from the book. "Ekam meht krad."

There was a stiff, staggering pain in her arms as they morphed. Not so painful that it robbed her of thought and not in what she would call agony, but it caused her to clench her teeth to deal with it. She watched as the wings that didn't look entirely right, but as they solidified, she saw that these weren't feathery bird wings, they were large, leathery bat wings. Slight disappointment because those bird wings were lovely, but she took off anyway, heading south. She'd search for days if she must, but she'd find them.

* * *

**Author's Notes****:** The strangest thing happened over the last few days. For the first few days after my last update, my reviews were invisible, which confused me. I looked into it and apparently it happens to plenty of users every couple of years. Problem fixed itself before I could report it, so...yay? As for Claudia's bat wings, I saw a post somewhere or other, maybe on deviant art months ago and I've been wanting to do this ever since. More definite yay! Review.


	36. The Ocean Arcanum

**Chapter Thirty-six: The Ocean Arcanum**

Fluctus was a beautiful place, the city itself sitting on a huge island of some kind of smooth white stone. The buildings were not towering but colored in every color one can imagine water to be, many decorated with shells, coral pieces, and even the feathers of waterfowl. The air was cool and smelt of salt. The ground was divided into sections separated by small trickles of water about the width of pencils that fed into each other, creating a web of water working through the whole of the stone floor.

The Tidebound elves were an even more diverse lot than their steeds, most going about whatever business they had, but some stopping to watch the procession of oddness before them. By now, word seemed to have spread about Callum, Aaravos and the spring debt line. Every color, blend of colors or even pattern imaginable graced their skin. Some had the feelers that Arro had, some had frills, some both, some neither.

Arro led Callum and company to his home, one of the more humble buildings in the city, but still with a grandness to it. The group left the ripplebounders in a small stable-like structure outside of the house. Ezran, who was more interested in exploring than magic, didn't need to be told twice when the elf dismissed him to wander about and do as he wished for the time being. He would have bolted off with Soren following if not for the streams. The humans had to mind them as they walked, both nearly falling at one point of another as water trickles meant sudden dips in the ground, while Arro and the other Tidebound elves navigated the streams without so much as loosing stride.

* * *

"Okay, I'm just not getting this." Rayla admitted. Of course, she supported Zephyr in this…thing wholeheartedly, she was just confused. "Why Soren, of all people?

"Well, why Callum?" Zephyr asked, and it seemed Rayla had been expecting this retort because she didn't appear offended or caught off-guard. Callum was loyal, funny and gentle in a way that she had never experienced before meeting him. Soren, on the other hand, was more in line with what a girl would want in a brother figure. Maybe that was why she wasn't seeing whatever Zephyr was.

"Fair point." Rayla said. "I'm pretty sure you felt this way when your brother got married."

"Probably." Zephyr said, and she winced as a particular thought stuck her. "So, about his sister."

"Lost cause." Rayla told her promptly. "He tried talking her down after Viren died, and she said us elves' emotions aren't worth caring about."

"Oh, she couldn't have meant it." Zephyr said. "Soren told me about his dad, but I think he thinks Claudia can be saved."

"It'd certainly be no small miracle." Rayla frowned and turned away, her arms crossed. She had already given Claudia that chance before they returned to Novus. She'd tried to talk to her and felt sorry for her, and Claudia had responded by saying the things she'd said in the prison cell. If there was any redemption to be had for the woman, Rayla would have no part of it.

The feeling of her wings fading was becoming familiar to Claudia – she had blown through her supply of feathers, but the incantation for the wings must have been permanently burned into her brain by now. It was lucky then, that she finally spotted the Moonshadow elf, at the shore of the sea and talking to some other elf. Claudia watched them closely as she descended from the sky, making sure neither of them looked her way. She silently cursed to herself when she pulled out the glass jar, seeing the moon spiders had also been depleted. In fact, she had nothing she could use against the elves, even if the new one didn't seem like she was a fighter.

She probably would have charged the two and demanded where Callum and Ezran were if the reek of dark magic hadn't gotten their attention first. Claudia ignored the fact that, rather then attacking, the Skywing elf seemed surprised to see her and the Moonshadow elf just looked annoyed.

"Say the demon's name and she shall appear." Rayla told Zephyr, without either taking their eyes off of Claudia.

* * *

Callum was thankful that, unlike outside, the inside of Arro's house was solid ground, although one wall was made up entirely of a wide but quiet waterfall which fed into a narrow pool which, despite any channels to elsewhere, seemed to resist overflowing. The wall opposite to this was packed from ceiling to floor and from wall to wall with plastic tubes that looked like they held scrolls. Callum supposed it was understandable, imposing some sort of water-proofing spell on book after book would probably take a fair amount of time.

"So, you're an ocean mage?" Callum asked, before backtracking. "Or is that tide mage because, you know, Tidebound."

"It's ocean mage." Arro said, and Callum was relieved when he didn't seem too incensed by it. Not quite as good-natured as Ibis had been, but still quite amiable. "We call ourselves 'Tidebound' because few of us actually dwell in the ocean. Our homes are made in bodies of water connected to the ocean, like rivers, wetlands and this very sea, as we still need land to survive. Like ourselves, these places draw power from the ocean."

Callum nodded, and looked out a window to see the sun begin to disappear behind distant trees to the west. "Yeah. Look, I promised someone I'd be back at the shore before sundown. I need to connect to the ocean arcanum tonight."

"A bit of a rush, isn't it?" Arro asked.

"We're on a pretty serious time crunch." Callum said, and preceded to tell the older mage about Aaravos, the first storm of spring, and how, on top of all that he still had the earth arcanum to connect to.

"Then there is little time to waste." Arro said. "How did you connect to the other arcanums?"

"If I have an understanding of the arcanum and what it's about, I can connect to it while I sleep." Callum said, hastily adding; "Well, most of them. My newest arcanum is the star primal and no one knows how I managed that."

Arro nodded. "Then allow my assistance. The ocean arcanum involves change, fluidity and navigation. Unfortunately, this is all I can offer in such a short timeframe."

"Change, fluidity and navigation." Callum repeated, considering this for a moment. "Thank you, Arro. I'll connect to the arcanum tonight, and I would like to come back tomorrow. I'm giving myself a month to learn everything I can about the last two primal sources."

"Very well." Arro said. "Gather your friends. I'll arrange for the ripplebounders to take you back across, and for your own steed to stay the night at the shore."

* * *

It was dusk. With how Ezran was excitedly going on about Fluctus, it wasn't surprising when the girls heard them before they saw them approach. Something among them was, in turn, surprising enough to silence Ezran's ramblings. It was Claudia, her arms and legs bound up with vines – Soren had the provisions including the rope. Maybe he should have left the bag with the girls. For once, Claudia seemed fearful rather than angry, as though she thought Rayla would hurt her. Rayla was, in fact, looking very annoyed at their new captive while Zephyr regarded the human woman with confusion.

"Hey, guys!" Rayla greeted, her falsely chipper voice a sharp contrast to her morose appearance as the three dismounted. "You'll never guess who apparently escaped her imprisonment."

"Well, can we take a couple of guesses anyway?" Callum asked, the playfulness of this question hampered by his unamused tone and frown sent to the captive.

"How'd you escape your cell?" Soren demanded of his sister. She ignored him.

"Callum, you have to call her off!" Claudia exclaimed, fearfully, her eyes wide and darting to Rayla. "My dad thought he could trust Aaravos and you saw what happened to him. You need to let me go so I can do what needs to be done."

"Which is?" Callum asked, though it was clear she probably wasn't going to be taken seriously either way.

"She has you under some spell, and the others, too!" Claudia told him. She would have gone on if not for Rayla's exasperated groan.

"Again, with this?" Rayla asked, raising her voice, and it was clear that Claudia had been here spouting the same nonsense for a while now. "For the last time, Claudia, I'm a Moonshadow elf; our thing is illusions, not mind control or whatever you're on about! Even if it was, I'm not a magic user!" Seeing the venomous looks the two were sending each other, Callum took Rayla by the arms from behind and slowly drew her to him. Rayla allowed herself to be led back a few steps and held from behind, and Claudia's glare intensified when taking in a few details of this interaction. By the way he stared her down coldly and the slight clutch she saw in his hands, it was clear that this embrace was not one of affection, but of protection. Was his heart so thoroughly enthralled by her tricks that he would fight for the thief?

"Everything started going wrong when she showed up!" Claudia accused. "The next time we saw you, you were acting weird."

"We were changing!" Callum said with a raised voice, spacing his words out so she'd be sure to hear him, since she clearly couldn't otherwise. "Meeting an elf who proves everyone wrong about them, going on a journey to return a stolen baby to its grieving mother, finally finding your destiny after fourteen years of your life being aimless? How can all that not change someone? I wasn't acting weird, I was becoming more open-minded!"

"She had her claws in you even then." Claudia persisted. Callum stared for a moment. She hadn't listened to a word he'd just said. His expression hardened.

"Then so be it." He said, his chilly voice calming down, which at last seemed to get through to her if her horrified expression was any indication. "If I'm under some sort of spell, then it's the happiest I've ever been in my life, and if you care about that, you'll leave us alone."

Claudia felt her heartrate double in terror as she looked into his eyes. It occurred to her that this was the first true eye-contact they had made since Callum had tried his hand at dark magic, and even then there had been a cold scorn in them, identical to what was happening now. Claudia herself was no stranger to mental control, but finally looking deeply into his eyes, she saw nothing; no cloudiness, no underlying fear, nothing that could even remotely imply that his words were not his own. His eyes were as clear as clean water. There…really was no mind control?

Claudia admitted to herself that she should have been feeling relief, but instead anger bubbled in her stomach. If there was no mind control, that meant Callum knew everything that he had been doing. He had willingly let her father fall from that cliff in favor of his little fling. He was in full control when he decided that a filthy elf was even slightly worthy of his heart. And he was speaking what he felt was the absolute truth, looking at her in the way that he should have been looking at the elf. Claudia turned away, unwilling to see the elf's smug face.

Rayla's face wasn't smug. She was watching Claudia closely for any sudden movement, any reason to think she'd try to attack them. This watch didn't last long as Callum pulled Rayla away, seeming ready to lead her somewhere.

"Soren, keep an eye on her." Callum told him. "It's getting late and I still need to connect to the ocean arcanum. I doubt we'd be able to sleep here. We'll see you guys in the morning."

"Sure." Soren said before looking back at Claudia, looking like he fully shared their distrust in his sister. He wished this wasn't the case. Callum nodded before he and Rayla wandered off, hand-in-hand.

"So, we're just staying up tonight?" Ezran asked him.

"No, I'll keep watch over her tonight." Soren told him. He had pulled all-night guard jobs before; he'd be okay so long as was allowed to rest the next day. Despite this being completely believable, Ezran and Zephyr still exchanged a worried look.

A short distance away was a small grove, easily within walking distance but it still offered the privacy the couple sought. Callum sat and leaned against a larger tree trunk, with Rayla leaning on his shoulder, Callum wrapped his arm around her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." The elf answered. "I can take care of myself against her."

"I meant with the sea."

"I'll be okay, but I will be better when we move on to the earth arcanum."

This was the end of the conversation, the pair just soaking in one another's presence as they drifted off together, with Callum keeping change, fluidity and navigation in his mind, and Rayla trying to keep her mind away from water.

* * *

It was twilight, whether dawn or dusk, Callum wasn't sure. He was that he was at a beach, looking at the sparkling ocean which was taking on many colors under the orange, pink and purple sky. The calm, serene ocean changed so quickly, Callum couldn't have pinpointed when it happened if he tried. Suddenly, a huge wave overtook Callum and he was now beneath the icy water. Or was he? Like the moon arcanum so long ago, there was no water underwater. As if this wasn't enough, he awoke on a sandy ground, the sound of waves filling his ears. Somehow, he had washed up on some sort of beach.

Seeing a small boat with oars halfway in the water, Callum looked towards the sun, which was low in the sky. It would have been nice if he could know if that sun was in the east or west, he only knew it was one of those. The knowledge that this was a dream made it easy to keep calm. The breeze was blowing toward the sun and with no other lead, Callum decided to head that way and turned to approach the boat.

* * *

Rayla's sleep wasn't so peaceful. She was a child again, not long before her parents were to leave for the Dragonguard. They were in a part of the Moonshadow Forest which included a wide river. Rayla had ignored her parents' warnings to be careful and to get away from the bank as she climbed and jumped among the large, white rocks. All at once, her footing was gone, the water engulfed her, and blurred voices were shouting her name as her tiny lungs were screaming for air. The calm surface of the river had been deceptive, because beneath it there was a powerful current sweeping her away from the rocks, away from her parents. She struggled and flailed, but she couldn't break the surface. As she felt unconsciousness overtake her, she could feel her tiny body be gently seized by a pair of hands.

Rayla jolted awake with a sharp gasp, her lungs taking in air that her body didn't truly need. She was safe, on solid ground, and the only wetness on her body were to fresh tear trails going down her cheeks. Even with Callum at her side, she couldn't keep the memory away. The next thing she had known after the river, she had woken up in her bed back at the Silvergrove to her parents', Runaan and Eathari's fussing. Apparently, her savior had been a passing Tidebound elf. It had been a while before she was even willing to leave the village again, and she couldn't even stand baths from that day on, let alone an unpredictable, deceptive, wild body of water.

Rayla tried to force those thoughts from her head as the pounding in her chest finally calmed down. It was still night, with the crescent moon high in the sky, she needed to get back to sleep. She wiped the drying tears from her face and snuggled deeper into Callum, who slept soundly. As she slipped back into sleep, she only hoped her second bout of dreams would be better.

* * *

Callum couldn't tell the difference between minutes and hours once the island was out of sight. Sudden moments of turbulence since setting out had quickly conditioned him to be distrusting of the ocean, which he knew could turn treacherous at any moment. He got that and saw how it related to the rest of life, and in truth he was becoming important for the second part of the dream. On the horizon, Callum spotted a single cloud, which in the blink of an eye was a raging storm, with the water sloshing every which way, jerking the boat to and froe. The boat capsized, sending him beneath the waves with water sloshing, wind blowing and thunder crashing fighting for dominance over his ears.

Again, he was in a familiar void. It was quiet, dry and not quite as cold as the sea had been. Callum turned around before someone could say his name. It was Rayla.

"Rayla?" Callum asked. Unbidden into his mind, he heard Claudia's words and his own response. How everything started 'going wrong' when Rayla showed up, and his response that he was changing. "Change."

"What's that?" Rayla asked, lost considering Callum had made the connection in his mind, but had yet to tell her.

"Rayla, you were the catalyst for so much change." Callum told her, his face one of adoration and thankfulness. "You took everything I grew up hearing about elves and proved them so wrong, you were the one who said we needed to take the egg back to the Dragon Queen, you…you were the first one to call me a mage."

"Glade I can be of help." She said, and he held her tightly, willing her to not disappear in the way Soren or his mother had. Rayla was the start of so much change in his life, but she was also his rock now.

* * *

Callum awoke to an especially bright sky, the cold of the morning only offset by the warmth of Rayla who, as seemed to be often these days, seemed to like cuddling up to him to sleep. It certainly wasn't a problem, again she had become his rock in life, one of the few things he could always count on. He had the ocean arcanum now. Perhaps all of those changes in his life gave him an edge over this one, because as he contemplated it, nothing really stood out as new information; he had been adapting to new situations since he was about four, when his mother married the King Harrow.

Callum performed a quick warmth spell which ingulfed himself and Rayla in relief. The shift awoke Rayla, who seemed a bit groggier than usual. Without saying anything, he pulled her to her feet – they probably needed to get back to the others to make sure no one had frozen to death overnight – and she seemed to wake up as they walked.

"Trouble?" Callum asked, noticing her uneasy demeanor as they went.

"Sort of." Rayla told him with a yawn. "I'll tell you later."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So, I have discovered that I am the last to discover the leaked pages of _Through The Moon_, which renders this an AU from the beginning on several counts. What they have failed to take into consideration is that nothing can stop me now, we're passed the halfway point. Mwahahaha! Seriously though, those pages are so cute, although I'm kinda on-the-fence about Rayla's new look. It's definitely pretty, but….it just doesn't look like her. Oh well, I guess that's what the ocean primal is about, right? Sometimes, ya just gotta take what comes at ya. Review.


	37. The Link

**Chapter Thirty-seven: The Link**

The raging winds could be heard from inside, regardless of the tightly closed glass window. To any other child in Novus, this would have made their bed seem all the cozier as they were protected from the roaring icy winds and pelting snow of the night. Mira looked out the window from the safety of her bed, wondering if Callum, Rayla and Ezran were safe tonight. She could still hear the screams that had her awake at whatever this hour was now. Even getting out of her bed, leaving the warm covers, made her shiver; she couldn't imagine what it was like outside.

She clutched Moon – her shadowpaw – to her when she walked over to the bedside table, where sitting beside the book Callum read to her sat a bound-up bunch of small papers and a pencil. With her not wanting to speak and Amaya being unable, this was how they would be communicating when her commander wasn't around, even if she herself could barely read yet. Amaya had endeavored to teach the child at least some written language, but it would take time and it was only the first night of this arrangement. So, all Mira could be expected to do was make her best guesses. She scribbled barely legible and harshly misspelled words on the paper that came out in a meaningless string of just recognizable letters and spaces. If one had the patience to decipher, though, they might have come up with the intended message; 'Nightmare. Bad lady killed Callum and Rayla. Me alone again.'

Mira's fear increased when she left her room. Even if Amaya's room wasn't very far away, something about being out of bed at night felt unsafe. Maybe being up and wandering around this late at night wasn't something that her parents had liked; honestly, it was getting harder to remember. The one thing she certainly remembered was that lady, who killed her mother and almost killed her twice. Far more vivid in her mind was how she almost killed Callum. And it had come out after they left that the lady escaped, and no one could find her. Maybe this was why she had that nightmare. She didn't want that lady to take Callum or Rayla from her the same way she took her parents.

Mira slipped into Amaya's room, finding it after some searching thanks to the other rooms. She was sleeping. Mira knew Amaya couldn't hear, so she climbed up onto the bed and tried to slip the paper into the woman's lazily closed hand. She always got up early, so she'd probably see it in the morning. Mira snuggled in, already feeling much safer than before.

* * *

"Really, it's fine." Rayla said, following Callum back to the others. The couple could see the rest of their little band watching them for a moment before turning back to what appeared to be a small camp, so they knew they were getting closer.

"No, it's not." Callum persisted. They had been going back and forth like this for the past three minutes. Honestly, his being so caring was usually something she adored and was grateful for, but now…well, she regretted telling him about her nightmare. "We don't have the time to make another trip back home, so Claudia's going to have to stay with us for a couple more months. We don't need you loosing sleep while she's still after you."

Rayla sighed. "Callum, I swear, it's okay. Compared to what we have to do, a couple of sleepless nights is nothing."

Callum stopped short, causing Rayla to do the same. He turned around and brought his hands to her face, forcing her to look at him; green and violate eyes barrowed into each other for what could have been seconds our hours. Callum was trying to pull off a stern look, but it wasn't easy with those beautiful eyes looking at him. "I'll tell Arro there's been a change of plans. I'll borrow a book like I did for sun magic, and we'll find something smaller, like a river or a lake; it's all connected to the ocean, there won't be a difference. Once we defeat Aaravos, we can come back here if you want, just the two of us so it's safe."

Somehow, Rayla knew further arguing would be useless. She lowered her eyes for a moment and covered his hands with hers, pulling them away to free her face. Their fingers intertwined as their hands dropped to rest between them. "You're too good to me."

The disagreement might have ended there, but as they made it back to the others, Rayla still wished Callum would take their time limit into account; who knew how long it would take to find a good enough water source to train in the magic?

It was probably Soren who had put together that fire and caught those fish which, together with forged fruits, made up breakfast. He was the only one of the four of them who Callum knew for a fact had basic survival training. It seemed that Callum and Rayla's less then chipper moods where apparent because the only acknowledgement of their return was a few looks their way.

"Are you sure the Tidebound elves said this is okay?" Zephyr was the first to speak, her question directed at Ezran. She looked warily at her fish.

"They're okay with it, fish is a big part of their diet, too." He told her, already finishing off his meal. Looking over to Claudia, it seemed she had been un and rebound in a way that would allow her to eat – which she seemed to refuse to do – but would still hinder her in attack or escape. All the same, there was a makeshift plate in front of her. Over the meal, Callum informed the others that he had mastered the ocean arcanum, but for a reason he didn't reveal, they would get going immediately after he made one last trip to Fluctus and spoke with Arro about borrowing a book or two. By Rayla's uncomfortable – almost guilty – look when he explained this, it wasn't hard to figure out what happened regardless, but after Callum's example, the group had the tact to keep quiet.

* * *

Amaya simply hadn't known what else to do than to bring Mira up to the Dragon Queen's layer. Maybe hearing about some of her nephews' and the Moonshadow elf's exploits would put the child's worries to rest. They had traveled from the capital of Katolis to the Storm Spire over a mere month, saved the Dragon Prince and fought in a war; surely, they could handle themselves against a dark mage who didn't even have access to her own magic.

So, it was Amaya, Gren, and Mira who scaled the Storm Spire and arrived at the royal chambers, with a couple of extra guards to help Mira feel safer on the journey up and down. That morning, Amaya had deciphered Mira's note, relayed it to Gren in a more complete fashion, and Gren was now reporting it to the Dragon Queen, with the Dragonguard, Dragon Prince and newly proclaimed Dragon Princess also in attendance. While Zym had a more complete picture of what was happening, Kimaare was only able to pick out names and certain words.

Kimaare didn't understand what 'kill' meant, but by Mira's expression, it couldn't have been good. Was it like being hurt? She understood hurt. Was someone trying to hurt Callum and Rayla? Mira seemed to think so by the way she clung to Amaya. Kimaare wished Callum could be back, then maybe Mira wouldn't be so scared. Besides that, and even though she loved her new mother and brother, the smaller dragonling also missed the mage's comforting presence.

Suddenly, shivers overtook Kimaare despite the chambers being quite warm and her eyes stretched wide. In her mind, she could see Callum, Rayla, Ezran, Soren and, to her surprise, the dark mage whose hands were tied up, and she was being led by Soren. They were traveling somewhere, but in the distance was the biggest water she'd ever seen. What confused her more was that, somehow, she knew that Rayla had had a bad dream, and for some reason that meant they couldn't stay at the big water.

* * *

Callum stopped in his tracks. Somehow, a vision of Queen Zubeia's chambers entered his head, and for some strange reason, his aunt, Gren, Mira, and a couple of her soldiers were there, as well. The word 'vision' is only used because this didn't feel like a typical random thought, especially out of the blue, this did not feel like it was imagined. He knew what they were doing there, as well, and his heart ached for Mira: he could almost feel her fear that something would happen to him and Rayla. Strange; his mother had always said he was a very empathetic child, but nothing like this had ever happened before. Finally, he had the sneaky feeling that Kimaare was at the center of everything. If his heart went out to Mira, he was feeling Kimaare's emotions as if they were his own. She felt incredibly fortunate to have Queen Zubeia and Zym, and wanted Mira to have that same security. She wished she could make her feel better. Most of all, the little dragon was…confused. She was seeing…this? She was thinking about him, in this exact situation, in this exact place, himself frozen in place and his companions now looking at him with concern. What…what was this?

Callum felt the revelation of Kimaare's that whatever this was, it wasn't a vision. It was…a link of some kind. Strange, Callum had never heard of such a thing before. Well, Ezran had told him and Rayla about his mysterious connection to Zym, but Callum had assumed that was some odd extension of his powers. Callum couldn't understand animals.

"Callum?" Rayla's voice broke Callum out of his…whatever this was. They, Claudia included, were looking at him questioningly.

"Uh, let's stop here for a little, I need to focus." He told them. "I'll explain everything once this is over."

"What's happening?" Ezran asked. Callum looked at him.

"I have no idea." He said honestly.

* * *

Amazed, Kimaare began chirping and yipping excitedly at the queen, who clearly understood those noises that the humans could not. Zym understood, too, and began his own series of excited noises, seeming to back up whatever she was saying. The pair of them seemed delighted to have this in common. Whatever the little ones were saying, it certainly got their mothers' attention, her large black and blue eyes widening, which in turn alerted the humans to something happening.

"What is it, Your Majesty?" Gren translated for Amaya.

"This is interesting." The queen said, looking at the humans. "Somehow, Kimaare seems to know where Callum is and that there is some sort of connection between them. And Azymondias claims that the same thing has happened between him an Ezran in the past. I've never heard of something like this before. She says they are walking away from a large sea. It must be the sea of Fluctus. Callum has successfully connected to the ocean arcanum, and they have found and taken the dark mage Claudia prisoner."

The Dragonguard present exchanged amazed looks among themselves but kept respectfully quiet. As Gren struggled to interpret all this to a confused Amaya, Mira looked very interested. It was almost enough to have her speak. Mira hadn't vocalized more than the occasional noise, hum or scream for so long, but words…Her throat felt dry and scratchy. What would happen? She didn't want to be swamped and asked tons of questions like she felt for sure she would get and besides that, the silence was comfortable to her now. All the same…she wanted so badly to know. Callum and Rayla had found her and brought her here, she owed them her life. She had to know, somehow, that they'd be okay, that they'd come back.

If the expression saying to thank one's lucky stars could be any more appropriate, none of them could imagine what that situation could possibly be. Bright green eyes looked straight into dark green, and Kimaare seemed to understand everything, saving the child from having to talk just yet, though they both knew it would have to be sometime. Somehow, she willed the information to Callum, that Mira was worried about them and scared that the dark mage would hurt them, and they wouldn't come back.

* * *

Soren was scanning the landscape keenly, listening to Callum's explanation passively; after the arrow incident those months ago, Callum and Rayla had decided to have someone on guard when they stopped out in the open like this. Callum had just gotten done explaining this strange link to Kimaare that he just discovered he had, with Ezran also suddenly revealing that he shared a similar link with Zym.

Soren took a moment to take in the girls' expressions; Zephyr and Claudia looked curious, but Rayla somehow didn't even seem phased. Zephyr noticed this as well.

"You seem pretty calm about this, Rayla." She said.

"One of them can do primal magic and the other can talk to animals." Rayla told her dryly. "Nothing these boys do surprises me anymore." Zephyr shrugged, supposing that was fair.

"What's going on back there?" Ezran asked.

"It's Mira." Callum said, and Rayla blinked, the mention of the child gaining her attention. "She's worried about us." For a moment, his eyes flitted to Claudia. "She knows Claudia escaped, they all do, and she doesn't want her to hurt us."

"Well, tell them we're okay." Ezran told him. Callum did the only thing he could think of and relayed this information in his head, willing it to Kimaare.

* * *

Kimaare received the message that they were safe, and again reported to back this the queen in a series of noises, seeming to have gotten the hand of whatever this connection was. The queen nodded and told the humans, and Kimaare's spirits lifted when Mira smiled and seemed to relax at the news. She gave a startled blink when, suddenly, the vision was over. She could no longer see Callum or the others near that big water. Before she could yet again turn back to Queen Zubeia questioningly, Zym chirped up and seemed to engage her in their own conversation of yips and purrs.

* * *

Callum made a confused face as the vision ended, and he could no longer see what was happening back at the Storm Spire. The last he had seen, the message of their safety had finally reached Mira, who he was glad to see was relieved to hear it. He looked back at his companions, seeing them each watching him closely, Soren doing so from the corner of his eye.

"That's it, the vision's over." Callum said.

Ezran tilted his head, confused. "So, Mira was just scared?"

"I guess." Callum said.

"The only two times that happened to me was when Zym was in trouble." Ezran said. "I thought it only happened in dangerous situations."

"Maybe star dragons are different?" Rayla speculated. None of them wanted to trivialize Mira's fear, every one of them knew what it was like to loose someone and that Mira was especially attached to Callum and Rayla; of course she'd be worried about them and she had every right to be after what had happened to her parents and old village. Still, it was nothing life threatening like what had been shown between Ezran and Zym.

Soren interrupted Callum's thoughts with a loud yawn, and Callum remembered that he had been up all night keeping his eye on Claudia. Although the sun was still climbing high in the sky, Callum thought that tonight, maybe he'd take first watch and either Ezran or Zephyr could finish off the night; Soren was looking dead on his feet and Rayla also had circles beneath her eyes that spoke of interrupted sleep. As he and the others got back to their feet to keep going, Callum let them in on this idea, getting no protest but a couple of odd looks considering it was still morning, a bit early to be going over evening plans. All the same, the band continued to stray further away from the sea, with Callum and Ezran both contemplating that strange link that had just been discovered.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The idea with the possible connection between humans and dragons is that it's a newly discovered thing here, not another buried piece of lure. It's never happened before because dragons usually guard their eggs with their lives, and the connection can only be made while the dragon is in the egg. Sounds Dragon Heart-y, even though it has nothing to do with the physical sharing of hearts! Anyway, next comes the month-long timeskip to have Callum learn a good chunk of spells, then it's the final arcanum; earth. Review.


	38. Shadow Pass

**Chapter Thirty-eight: Shadow Pass**

Ezran was glad when the month was over. They had found a wide but fairly shallow river, the kind in which you could cross on foot without needing to raise your chin above the deepest water in the center. It almost seemed tailor-made for their purposes; a steady supply of water from the ocean that wasn't harsh or deep. The only snag in the plan was the layer of ice that overtook the river every night. For this reason, Erumpere, an ice breaking spell, was the first Callum had chosen to master. It was back to monotony for the most part, save for a day not long into Callum's studies in water magic. He was now able to extract water from the air, turn water into ice or steam, walk on water with the grace of a ripplebounder, and manipulate small currents. Meanwhile, Soren had somehow gotten it into his head that all Rayla needed to do to overcome her fear was to conquer it. 'Conquering' in this case meaning he'd be trying various methods to either trick or force her into the water to get her to see that it wasn't dangerous. This had ended with multiple bruises throughout his body and Rayla refusing to speak to him for about a week.

Now they were heading further east, where a roaming Skywing elf had pointed them last evening. Not Concordia, but a smaller village of Earthblood elves called Shadow Pass, which was much nearer if they were in a hurry. It was about a day's walk from the river, where Concordia was at least a full week to the north on foot.

"Have any of you ever been to Shadow Pass?" Ezran asked.

"I haven't." Zephyr told him. "If I knew what it looked like, I could probably pinpoint the area. For all I know, I could have flown over it a hundred times."

"I've heard of it." Rayla said. "It's called 'Shadow Pass' because the earth there is only lite up when the sun or moon is directly overhead, it's said to be shrouded in shadows the rest of the time. What I'm worried about is how we're going to find a mentor for you."

Callum was quiet, his expression plainly saying that he was thinking. This had actually been discussed several times because the dilemma was obvious, but no one could find a solution. Earthblood elves hibernated in winter, sleeping as soundly as bears. Well, the adults did; for reasons even the Earthblood elves themselves didn't understand, the children of their race were as awake and active as ever during winter, the fatigue and the urge to hibernate only beginning after the teen years. For this reason, it was common for the older children and adolescents to care for the younger ones during this time; this was why the young Earthblood elves tended to seem more adult then the other kinds of elves in their age group. All Callum could do was to hope that either there was a mage-in-training younger than himself in Shadow Pass, or at least someone in possession of yet another book.

* * *

Amer had entered heat-being mode just thinking things over as he watched Novus from a safe distance. He growled as he slunk away from the tree he had been hiding behind, which had burst into flame from the sudden rush of intense heat. Surely it would gain the attention of that horrid general and he didn't need the trouble.

He'd seen Sirus's ultimate fate and who knew where that Kiara had disappeared to? He still couldn't figure out why, if those Earthblood elves from the mountains hated humans as much as they claimed, why none of them had taken him up on his offer to come with him to end the treacherous Moonshadow elf and her human plaything. He knew what had become of those elves, and it was hardly a concern to him that their chief's child was now in Novus under the general's care, one little scrap wasn't worth making a fuss over. It seemed that, not only had he been stripped of his birthright and exiled, but he couldn't even keep ahold of allies thanks to those humans. If only that sister of his hadn't been warped to favor a human woman over her own family, Amer would still be in control of at least some battalions, which he would have had marching on Novus a long time ago, and this wouldn't be a problem now.

"Vexing, isn't it?" Amer's blood ran as cold as the snow, causing his heat-being mode to disappear as abrupted as a switch being flipped. In an instant, he was frozen, mouth agape, eyes wide and body starting to shake. He'd only heard that deep, alluring, cruel voice a handful of times in his life, all within the past year, but it was burned into his brain forever.

Amer jumped around and his heart was pounding in his ears. Aaravos was standing mere feet behind him, with the Scepter of Darkness in his hand, crackling with power. Adrenaline took over, mixing with years of pain and degradation, leading to anger so complete that his heat-being mode returned. He let out the animal-like roar that he and his sisters had gotten into the habit of a children; something that had annoyed their parents in the past, but they had each kept the battle cry.

Amer charged unthinkingly at Aaravos, having surrendered his mind to the rage he felt for a few moments. This was it. He'd take everything out on Aaravos, he didn't care if the Startouch elf had obscene amounts of power or that he really had nothing to do with the current situation, he was going down. The Startouch elf didn't even blink as he draw a rune and casted a spell nonverbally that incased Amer in ice. The coldness of the air amplified the power of the wind spell enough that it seemed to, quite literally, cool the younger elf off.

"Temper, temper," Aaravos spoke condescendingly as Amer continued to watch him. One disadvantage of the heat-being mode was that it used up a lot of energy very fast, rendering inexperienced combatants nearly helpless after the massive wave of power. Now, Amer was winded and helpless and he knew it. "you can't keep expecting your own delusions to fight your battles for you."

"What do you want?" Amer asked. He honestly wasn't surprised when his own voice was trembling in fear, but he wished it didn't.

"Assistance." Aaravos said.

"Y-you should have thought about that before you killed the dark mage!" Again, this sounded much better – and wiser – in the former Sunfire prince's head.

"You are of more use to me then Viren would had been come this stage. You know the current Dragonguard, do you not?" the Startouch elf asked.

The haunting image of the old dark mage slowly disintegrating filled Amer's mind. "No! I've seen what you do to your lackies, I won't do it!"

Aaravos didn't even blink as his hand shot out and grabbed Amer by his ragged, unkempt hair. Amer froze, fearful that the smallest movement could set off some terrible spell that would mean his end. "I don't believe you realize your situation, so allow me to illuminate, Amer." Aaravos said, losing his smirk, but still keeping deathly calm. "You either do as I say and I permit you to live so long as you keep in line, or you will be killed right here. If you heed my ever order without issue, you have nothing to fear."

Amer, for once in his life, thought better of some smart remark. He was thinking that someone would notice and come after his murderer, but deep down he knew it was practically a fantasy. The only family he had left hated him, the royal family knew his crimes, he had no home, no allies. The only person he could seriously imagine coming to his aid in the best of times were those two goody-two-shoes humans Callum and Ezran, and he couldn't imagine either of them coming to his aid or vengeance after what he…

He lifted his eyes to the sky, the idea that this misery was of his own making finally sinking in. Finally breaking through his pride.

…after what he'd done.

Amer looked back at Aaravos, seeing the older elf smirking at the look of epiphany, of realization and of shame in Amer's eyes. Tears would have escaped the Sunfire elf's eyes if an entire lifetimes worth hadn't been used up during the nights in his first year of banishment. He straightened up and forced his breathing to steady. He truly didn't have anything left.

"I'm in." he said, his voice and gaze hardening.

Aaravos smirked. "Excellent."

* * *

It was dusk now. The group had noticed the smoothness of the snow thinning, giving way to the bumpy terrain of stones that quickly became a rocky path between two raises of land that formed sheer cliffs. An old, dried up riverbed, perhaps. The group stopped to observe for a moment before pressing on, Callum casting an illumination spell to make up for the combined darkness of the shadows and the late hour on a moonless winter night.

"This must be Shadow Pass." Callum said.

"What make you say that?" Soren asked.

"Well, the shadows, for one." Rayla told him as Callum and Ezren looked at him weirdly.

The illumination spell allowed them to see the plethora of small footprints all over the place in the thoroughly disturbed snow; the footprints of children without an adult print in sight. Despite this being a fairly wide pass, there were signs of play all over the place; piles of snow carved out into small caves to freeze solid overnight, evidence of childish games and drawings and the lower cliff walls sporting globs that spoke of snowball fights. There was one thing that the spell didn't reveal.

"Does anyone see any openings in the walls?" Callum asked, noticing the utter lack of den-like structures that had led to the elves' homes in the mountains. Where, exactly, did the Earthblood elves live here?

Claudia wasn't listening. Sometime in the past weeks, the guys had gotten her to talk, if only to them. She still refused to talk to Rayla or Zephyr, the elves, and when she did speak with one of the boys, she couldn't help the anger that would rise in her chest in response to the flickers of distrust and wariness in their eyes. She had found a new great enemy, one-sided as that relationship was, in Zephyr. Whatever the Moonshadow elf thought of her, at least she seemed to understand that Claudia didn't care for her. The Skywing elf didn't seem to get the message and, against the warnings of Soren and her fellow elf, kept trying to be friendly and engage in conversation. The one thing that burned her up more than the Skywing elf's incessant attention was how protective Soren seemed to be of her.

Presently, Zephyr was looking up at the stars, seeming almost to be disoriented. "I have flown over this place before. It all looks so different from down here." As Soren moved to stand near her, causing Claudia's blood to boil hard enough to negate the need for any warmth spell, Callum could see her point; this place was bound to be much less intimidating from far above in the sky. Perhaps he'd give it a try when the world wasn't at stake.

Claudia had to look away, her eyes resting on a small outcropping of rock with large icicles hanging from them. The Moonshadow elf's senses were too fine-tuned for an ambush, but maybe she could at least take care of the more lax Skywing elf. She had been exploiting the soft spot in the back of the head on all kinds of creatures for at least a decade. That or at least have a go at her rope, if she could only inch her way close enough without alerting her captors. Asking them would raise unwanted questions and she looked back at the icicles.

The largest and most sturdy-looking she'd ever seen. It seemed these icicles had been subject of another game because there seemed to have been more snowballs thrown here then anywhere else. Several smaller icicles had been broken off by the snowballs in what had probably been a throwing game to see who could knock down the most icicles. No. No, practice. Elf children didn't play games like human children did, it was all practice for adulthood. The biggest and thickest icicles remained, three in all, which bore signs of having been pelted with snow.

When her rope was handed off to Soren – Callum had had custody of her before – Claudia erupted into action and bolted for the icicles; so be it if this sudden burst of impulsiveness failed her, things couldn't get much worse than they were now. She looped her arms around the biggest icicle, ignoring calls of her name, and pulls as hard as she could. The ice was firmly embedded in the rock and before the others could make it over to her, it broke free.

Several things happened at once. Claudia was on the ground, reeling from the sudden fall, but more then that, the cliff roared as a torrent of debris came down the slope. They backed up, well, most of them did. Claudia was staring wide-eyed at the rush of snow, ice and rock coming for her – it seemed that ice had been embedded in the rock deeper than she'd realized.

Soren looked on with panic. He turned to Rayla. "Rayla, you have to help! You're the quickest of us."

Rayla looked at the scene, knowing there wasn't time to argue. She clinched her teeth in irritation. "I must be out of my mind."

Like a bolt of lightning, Rayla moved out, grabbed Claudia by the back of her shirt and zipped back to the group with the avalanche just on her heels. The pass was wide enough that huddling beneath the opposite cliff was probably safer than anything and indeed, before them was a huge mound of snow, ice and rock, but things calmed down before it reached them. It was a small pile but being trapped beneath it would surely be doom.

For a moment there was silence. This was broken in a matter of seconds, though, when Soren practically constricted Rayla in a grateful embrace.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" he chanted, not seeming to care that the elf wasn't returning the hug. In fact, she looked rather irritated at him.

"You owe me." Rayla declared, glaring at Soren.

In another few seconds, the group jumped back towards the heap of ice and rock when the wall behind him started to rumble. This didn't seem to be another avalanche, as the rumbling was much quitter, limited to the few feet behind them and seemed to come from within the cliff. They watched as the wall seemed to collapse, revealing a pair of Earthblood elves.

The two elves didn't look much younger than Callum, maybe around sixteen or seventeen. One had the same dark skin as Queen Janai, which was in sharp contrast to his bright golden eyes and splash-like markings and spiky hair to match. The other was more of a russet color with blue eyes with green arches reaching out from them and hair the color of wet sand. Both pairs of eyes were drooping and had slight darkness under them. Hibernation or not, it was still late.

"What was that? What's happening?" the russet-colored girl asked, her companion letting out a huge yawn.

* * *

Amaya had gathered Gren and a couple of her soldiers to investigate, armed with torches as night fell. The blazing tree had been spotted by more than one villager and had been out of place enough to alert her to something strange. The ground around the tree was muddy and devoid of snow – though by now was iced over – in a way that reminded her of Sunfire elves. Amir instantly entered her mind, an easy conclusion thanks to Lain's recent sighting of him, but the tracks leading away seemed to say there was someone else involved.

With snow on the ground, it was absolute child's play to track them back to the cave. Amaya gestured Gren to go in, make sure not to be seen, listen in and see what's happening. Somehow, he managed it and came back after about a minute. He had definitely heard Amir's voice along with a deep voice he thought he remembered from months ago, but he couldn't place it. What he knew was that they were plotting something, with the figure making all sorts of claims. Unfortunately, it was getting late and every moment spent here made it more and more likely they would be discovered, so they had to fall back.

Amaya led the others back home running over everything in her head. She'd report it to Opeli and to Queen Zubia first thing in the morning; if Amir was involved, the Dragon Queen would probably want to know. Amir was lurking around with some unknown being, and from there she'd relay what had been told to her. All that would wait for tomorrow; for right now she needed to pick up Mira, get home, and get out of the cold.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** 'Erumpere' means 'break free'. The idea with the naming system of these elven towns is that older or capital cities have Latin (or draconic) names, while smaller villages or newer places have names that would seem more at home in something like Warrior Cats or Redwall, hence names like Silvergrove and Shadow Pass. The same is not true for 'wild' places like the Midnight Dessert of the Storm Spire, just towns. It's really just my attempt to bridge the name-gap between Silvergrove and Lux Aurea, which don't sound like they belong in the same world going by the names alone. Review.


	39. The Earth Arcanum

**Chapter Thirty-nine: The Earth Arcanum**

As it turned out, the heat and light spells weren't needed as they stepped into the hollow rock wall. With the wall resealed courtesy of the small russet elf, the air in here was warm and smelt of upturned soil. The place was lite up by both bioluminescent mushrooms that grew in small patches around where the floor met the walls and – far more impressively – by a gorgeous array of shining gemstone whose light was amplified by those mushrooms, covering the high ceiling and illuminating the place. Rubies, sapphires, amethysts, emeralds, ambers, diamonds in every conceivable color; it was as if the stars themselves had followed the group into the cave.

Now they could see what Callum and Rayla recognized as Earthblood elf homes, with two dwellings that sat near each other whose doors were ajar. The black elf gave another yawn.

"Terry, you've got this, right?" he asked, gesturing to the visitors.

"Sure, Naseem, just go back to sleep." The reddish elf told him. Naseem didn't seem to need to be told twice and he returned to one of the open dens. Terry gestured for the others to follow her passed the last open door and into the underground house. The place was, as the home back in the mountains, lite up by magic, though just enough to see five feet in front of one's face. Terry ushered the group into a sitting room and opened a chest next to the couch which held blankets and pillows.

"I don't know who you are or why you're here, but it's late." Terry said. "And winter is always a busy time for us Earthblood elves, so just try to get some sleep. You can tell me what you're doing here and what happened outside tomorrow."

Callum and Rayla looked at each other, confused by this sudden hospitality, in contrast to Soren, Claudia, Ezran and Zephyr who all gratefully – numbly in Claudia's case – took the blankets and pillows, eager to sleep in a warm place. Eventually, the pair conceded silently; it was very late, and it would probably be better to tell her in the morning when everyone was awake.

* * *

The sun was barely up when Amaya and Gren made it to the top of the Storm Spire. Entering the sleeping chambers, the queen seemed to be just waking up, the pair of dragonlings still so soundly asleep that they might as well have been unconscious.

"General Amaya. Commander Gren. A bit early for a social call, is it not?" Queen Zubeia asked, making sure to keep her voice soft.

Amaya began sighing, and Gren began faithfully translating. "Pardon the hour, Your Majesty, but something came up last night. Something involving Amer." Queen Zubeia's look was an intent one. "He's lurking around with someone, who's planning to use him in some sort of plot."

"It could by Aaravos." Kaiya said, gaining the trio's attention. She and a few other Dragonguard were emerging from their living quarters for the day. The queen nodded.

"It may be." She agreed and turned to Ibis. "Ibis, have letters ready to send out to the Moon Nexus and to your son in Aviana. He is a healer, is he not?"

"He is, Your Majesty." Ibis said.

"Have the letters ready to send, but don't send them out until spring." Queen Zubeia told him. "There will be less chance of this information going astray if the actions in the instructions are immediate. The letters will bare details of Aavaros's plans, regardless of whether or not Amer is involved. They will summon all but Lujanne from the Moon Nexus as a precaution, and your son for his medical services. We will no doubt need them all come spring." Ibis bowed. "Although on the subject of Amer, send a letter immediately to Queen Janai about her brother and is antics around here. If nothing else, I see no reason why she shouldn't be made aware of his possible connection to Aaravos."

"Yes, My Queen." Ibis bowed again and turned to return to his living quarters to write the letters. He supposed there would be two more letters joining the one that, hopefully, would never need to be opened, but that he had written as a precaution against what he and the rest of the guard knew very well was a possibility. He still needed to thank Kaiya for her part in the letter, which was the one part that was bound to come to fruition regardless of anything. If nothing else, with the things Callum had told him about his family over their year of training, this would probably mean the world to the boy.

* * *

Breakfast was pancakes with winter berries and some sort of sweet, earthy syrup on top. Of the six of them, Callum and Rayla were talking to Terry, each of them taking occasional bites of their food. Claudia still shook from her near burial in the avalanche last night as well as her lingering fatigue – since such a thing would keep the bravest souls laying awake well into the night – only occasionally and lazily picked at her meal. She was watched with concern by Zephyr who ate a bit more quickly than her, but was still savoring each bite; Earthblood elves made some of the most delicious homecooked meals in Xadia, so this was a real treat as far as she was concerned. In sharp contrast to the girls, Soren and Ezran were wolfing down their plates so quickly, it was a wonder neither of them choked.

"The Earth Arcanum?" Terry asked.

"Yes." Callum nodded. "After I connect to it, I'll train here for a month, then we'll be going home where I'll keep training until the first thunderstorm of the year."

Terry sat back in her chair, thinking. This was certainly a lot to take in. The whole point of Shadow Pass was that it was out of the way and, therefore, protected. Never in her life could she imagine the White Mage coming here of all places to learn his earth primal craft. It was an honor.

"So," Zephyr said, turning to the younger elf. "You're sure everything is okay with their other cliff?"

"Oh yes, we've known it was unstable for some time. It was abandoned decades ago." Terry said. "At least the collapse happened when no one was in the way." With this, the Earthblood elf took on a panicking look. "N-not to disvalue our visitors! I, uh…y-you know what I mean."

Callum and Rayla exchanged a look of surprise at this sudden change in demeaner, though this only seemed to rile Terry up even more.

"I-I'm sorry, this is really unprofessional of me." She apologized, and Callum and Rayla instantly saw their younger selves in the uncertain, almost fearful, girl who was suddenly fretting over her shortcomings. "Mages are supposed to be dignified and calm."

"You're a mage?" Soren asked, taking in the girl's slight figure and shorter height. "Kinda young, aren't you?"

"I'm in training." Terry admitted. "Both of my parents are masters."

"Are there any masters awake?" Callum asked, wondering too late if the question was insulting to their host. Terry shook her head in a negative gesture.

"I'm also the oldest one." she said, nervously. "I've been training for six months."

"Okay, good." Callum said. "If I'm only going to be here for a month –"

A knock at the door cut Callum off. Terry excused herself to get the door. The voice of the elf from last night rang out. The guests listened to the conversation.

"Terry! Are you okay, did the intruders hurt you?"

"Calm down, Naseem, I'm fine." Terry's voice had lost its nervousness and now actually held a hint of annoyance, probably over the other elf's protectiveness. "They're okay, but they need my help."

"No, _I_ need your help! I can't take all of these kids by myself!"

* * *

Within the hour, all but Callum, Rayla, Zephyr and Terry were outside of the stone cliff watching the younger children who were in aw of the aftermath of the avalanche last night. It had woken many of them up, but a full day of hard play had tuckered them all out too much to get up to investigate. Naseem and Terry had risen only out of their duties as the eldest two. Kids were trying to climb up the now iced-over mound, some occasionally slipping and falling into a pile of soft snow of the ground. Rayla and Zephyr had stayed inside the gem-lite cave with the older kids a little younger then Naseem and Terry, whose job it was to care for the infants and toddlers who were too small for the kind of roughhousing that went on outside. This was typically Terry's primary area, which she would take up after giving Callum an idea of what the Earth arcanum was about.

Currently, Terry was leading Callum into a large bedroom in her house. The bed was occupied by a pair of peacefully sleeping Earthblood elves snuggled up together, male and female adults, both having an assortment of features – skin tone, horns, eye shape – shared by Terry. Her parents, he guessed. Terry herself didn't seem especially concerned about keeping quiet.

"Shouldn't we be keeping quiet?" Callum asked softly, eyeing the couple as they slumbered. Terry looked at them uncaringly, but also longingly, as if she yearned for their guidance at this time. Callum supposed he understood, it must have been a daunting task to teach a budding archmage, and a famous one besides, while you yourself were still in training.

"Don't worry, nothing short of an earthquake would wake them up." Terry said at a normal volume. "Hibernation isn't as shallow as normal sleep. Not even the avalanche from last night made them stir, they won't wake up until spring arrives and not before."

A wall passed the bed was practically made of bookshelves, packed with thick books, and Callum got the impression that not all of them were spell books. As if she was searching for a specific title, Terry moved her index finger over a patch made up of several large, brown tomes. Eventually, she selected one, took it from the shelf and told Callum to come with her as she left the room, not waiting for him. Callum followed her back to the kitchen.

The table, now clear of breakfast, was practically half hidden under the massive, unfolded volume. Callum was impressed that Terry could handle this bulky and no doubt heavy thing so easily, when she herself was scrawnier than Rayla had been when the two first had met as kids. It was a history book.

"Okay," she began, "the earth arcanum is all about history, steadfastness and balance."

The word balance suddenly had Callum thinking of the sun and moon arcanums, and he realized with a shiver of goosebumps that earth was also the second half of another arcanum, but which one? He ruled out star since he himself barely understood it, which left ocean and sky, one ever-changing and the other fleeting like the wind. Strang, they both seemed like fine candidates for it. He shook his head clear; these were thoughts for another time. For now, he needed to focus.

* * *

The breeze felt lovely as it rustled the leaves overhead. Callum was laying on his back, the comfort of his resting spot almost making him drowsy. It was a sunny day, with Callum protected from the heat beneath the shade of a large maple tree. Callum hoisted himself up when the leaves began falling. He looked up curiously. The tree's leaves were suddenly a spectrum of yellow, orange, red, brown and everything in between, falling from the branches. Then the tree was bare and there was snow on the ground, though, strangely he never noticed the cold setting in. The snow quickly melted away, and Callum watched as buds appeared on the tree and grew until they were again full leaves.

Callum watched as this cycle repeated over and over, with the only changes being the surrounding foliage changing from year to year, and the tree growing bigger over the years, until at last, the tree fell. The rapid turning of seasons continued on, with the log becoming covered in moss and mushrooms, collapsing, delaying until there was nothing left but a patch of grass. Another few seasons passed before some sort of sprout began to grow in the place where the tree had fallen.

* * *

Soren hoisted himself up with a yawn. It was the middle of the night, but nature was calling. After relieving himself, Soren trudged back to the living room, looking forward to getting back to sleep. He gave Callum a brief look; he knew he'd be connecting to that earth primal now, but just looking at him one would never think it.

He looked around, but he noticed Zephyr was not here. This woke him up a bit, and he woke up further as he looked around the house for her. Terry was in her room, her ever-slumbering parents in their room, nothing in the kitchen, washroom, storage. As he realized he wasn't in the house, Soren hoped she hadn't somehow gone out into the cold.

Thankfully, he found her just outside the house, though still in the cliff. She was lying on her back, her eyes shimmering. Soren looked up and saw the gemstones glowing beautifully above them. Soren looked back down as Zephyr whose face was illuminated in the gems' light. He hoped she somehow missed the red of his cheeks as he saw the whiteish-blue color of her eyes was made even more alluring by the glow of the gems. Soren wasn't sure if her eyes flickering from him to the ground beside her and then back to him again was an invitation to join her, but she didn't protest when he took it and laid beside her.

Things had been awkward between them for the past months, and perhaps it was time to sort things out at last. Tomorrow, though. It was late, and things were too peaceful to ruin to words now, though neither really noticed when they started holding hands.

* * *

Callum found himself in – of all places – the canyon in which he had witnessed the trio of ancient dragons led by King Saluto. There were no dragons around this time.

"The tales of the past are of unfathomable importance." Spoke a voice from behind that Callum recognized, but couldn't quite place. He turned where he stood and looked up in wonder at the silvery-white dragon with the shining blue eyes. Luna Tenebris.

Callum had been expecting someone like his aunt, or Ezran to speak to, not the former Dragon Queen. Still, he listened obediently. "The events of the past are what shape our decisions in the present, which will affect the future, and so on and on it goes. No one can stop the flow from going on its way, all we can do is consult the past and hope that our actions have set us on the best possible path."

"I get it." Callum said. "And the balance?"

"You seem to have figured that out for yourself, Callum." Luna Tenebris told him with a warm chuckle. "All that business with the sun and moon, and now earth itself with the sky and ocean. The moon mage was very correct in praising your intelligence."

Callum's cheeks warmed at the flattery. He glanced away for a moment, aware that he was giving the dragon an opportunity to leave, which she seemed to have taken when he looked back to find her gone, as expected.

* * *

When Callum awoke, he knew the earth arcanum, but he couldn't help but feel cheated. This should have been a triumphant moment, when he had finally connected to his final arcanum, and now all that was needed to become an archmage was learn the rest of the spells. But he couldn't even work it up to be happy about it. The hard part of his journey might have been over, at least where learning magic was concerned, but that just made spring seem all the closer, giving way to a feeling of dread. Now it was nothing more then a matter of time.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And that's it, no more arcanums. I had a difficult time deciding who I wanted Callum to encounter in this last vision, but I think this is okay. Parts of Luna Tenebris' speech are from Grandma's Lullaby from one of the Land Before Time movies, it's a pretty song. And just to put it into perspective about hibernation, bears _give birth _during hibernation, so the sleep is pretty deep. Also, wow I am not good at pre-relationship romance; I'm way more comfortable with romance couples that have already been established. I kind of have big plans for Soren and Zephyr, and I worry that this is too little, too late to warrant it because we haven't seen a lot of them yet. I think we'll hold off on the timeskip for one more chapter, and the next chapter will spotlight some development that will be needed down the road: no action, no drama, just catching up on some character development. Review.


	40. The Legacy Of Darkness

**Chapter Forty: The Legacy Of Darkness**

Soren laughed as he wiped the ice-cold snow off of his face; he had somehow gotten caught up in some of the kids' snowball fight. A couple of kids had been looking nervously at him at first, as if they were worried this would get them in trouble. They had relaxed when Soren had laughed and scattered with squeals of delight when he quickly scooped up some snow himself and threw a ball their way.

He was still smiling to himself as he walked away. Things were so simple and innocent here. That said, he wouldn't want to be in charge of these kids, if Naseem's constant running around and shouting at kids to get down from someplace or stay where he can see them was any indication of how that would be. He was currently talking to Zephyr at the edge of the pass, who had just swiped up one of the more mischievous children who had tried to run away. Zephyr had swooped down and grabbed him before he could get far.

* * *

Claudia watched Soren with scorn, her eyes narrowing as that Skywing elf fluttered over to join him. The two were talking, and it sickened Claudia to see how they beamed in one another's company. Oh, she was bitter and jealous, she admitted that much, but the thing that really bothered her was…

"Problem?" It was the Moonshadow elf, looking at her with the same distrust she gave upon their first proper introduction – if one could call a sparse series of distrusting looks an introduction, proper or otherwise – at the Moon Nexus years ago. Now, though, she looked like she expected Claudia to attack. How dare she?

Claudia turned away like a child who was being forced into a conversation she didn't want to be a part of. She didn't want to talk, so she found herself surprised at her own question; "Why did you save me?"

The cold tone of her voice told Rayla that this question was more accusing then confused or guilty. Rayla was a heartless elf whose actions were based on instinct alone, but there had been no practical reason to risk her life for Claudia's. Neither payed much attention to the crunching of snow that made it clear someone was coming toward them. The sound of fabric slapping against fabric accompanied by a soft gasp form the elf had Claudia look back at her. Her stomach bubbled with distaste seeing that Callum had come up to them and was now holding the elf from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"Oh, don't you start with that hero thing again, Callum." Rayla smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with affection and amusement despite her tired-sounding tone.

"Why not?" Callum teased. Claudia turned away. She supposed if Callum really was this set on the elf, it was his affair – at least for the moment, she'd have to try a different tactic – but did they really have to rub it in like this? Oh, what in the world had possessed her to think looking back at Soren and Zephyr was a good idea? While they weren't being as shameless as Callum with his little mistake in his taste in girls, they were still close together. Too close for her liking.

"It's not your business, Claudia." She heard Callum tell her as she continued to look.

"It is my business, Callum." She returned with resolute in her voice. "He's sullying my father's legacy."

"You can't be serious." Rayla said.

"I've never been more serious." The dark mage told her, still not taking her eyes off of her brother. "It's a disgrace to him, his own son with an elf! Dad said that at least Callum sort of makes sense because Sarai was always a bleeding heart for you Xadians."

"Viren lost any right to Soren's choices when he disowned him." Callum told her. "His whole life, Soren had done everything he could for Viren's approval, and Viren repaid him by abandoning him as soon as he stopped going along with his plans. He told us everything before the Battle of the Storm Spire."

* * *

"I don't get it." Zephyr said, managing along with Soren to ignore his sister's glare at them. "Dark magic saved you twice?"

"I already told you about the incident with Pyrrah, but there was something before that." Soren told her, his shoulders slumped in shame. He knew very well how elves felt about dark magic, but he didn't feel right keeping this from her. "I was…small. Maybe eight or nine. I don't even remember how I got sick, but my father worked day and night to save me. It was back when he cared. It's not like us humans liked dark magic, but it was all we had. It was one of the reasons my mother was pretty good friends with Queen Sarai, they had the same opinion of it."

"So, some humans didn't like dark magic even before Callum could do primal magic?" Zephyr asked, such a thing never having occurred to her before, despite the months of her living among humans in Novus.

"A lot of us don't, but the dark mages who practice it will defend it to the death." Soren said. "I don't know about the four human kingdoms; I can't imagine them keeping dark mages after what Viren did, but I don't know for sure. But most of us knew dark magic winds always up being more trouble than it's worth."

"How do you feel about it?" Zephyr asked. "Owing your life to it, I mean."

Soren was quiet for a moment as if contemplating something. Something he'd never even shared with Claudia, or Rayla who had effectively taken her place as a little sister-type figure once the two had gone their separate ways. It looked at those bright, white-blue eyes and felt overcome by a rush of affection. This was Zephyr, who he'd spent so much time with over the months. Somehow, it only seemed natural to at last tell someone. "It's weird, but ever since then, I feel like there's this fog in my head that's never let up. I can remember what it was like to have a clear head, but I was never able to tell anyone about the fog. I don't really care too much about that, I care about what it did to my parents."

"Your parents?" Zephyr asked.

"Mom…didn't like that Dad wanted to save me with dark magic. They'd taken me to every hospital in Katolis, but no one could do anything. Dad said it was their last shot, but Mom said it wouldn't be worth it. That it would only hurt me eventually, it wasn't worth it. He accused her of not caring about their son. I think Viren blames me for them splitting up. If I hadn't gotten sick…"

"It wasn't your fault what happened." Zephyr told him. Soren had become a bit downcast at the memories, so she searched for something to get him mind off of it. "I can barely remember my mother. I was little when…we lost her, and dad took us in."

"Took you in?" Soren asked, breaking out of his malaise. It confused Zephyr; had she really never told him about this part of her past?

"Skywing elves don't usually stay together after…doing that." She explained. "Pairs do bond, but we're usually only raised by our mothers. A lot of us never know our fathers, but for a lucky few, like Wendell and I, our fathers came around all the time to see us, teach us and spend time with our mothers. It was seen as strange when our father took us home and raised us himself, but he loved us as much as Wendell says our mother had. My nephew, Kit, the other kids tend to pick on him because his family is what they call 'weird'. Personally, I like what humans do, where they do stay together."

Soren and Zephyr locked eyes and their faces went red with a shared blush. In each of their chests, their hearts were pounding away. Unable to stand this anymore, Soren took Zephyr's face in his hands and kiss her. Surprised at first, she melted into it, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him back and his hands found their way to her back and waist.

* * *

Ezran watched this scene in the company of several younger kids. Claudia had slunk off by herself and Callum wisely didn't trust her around these children, so he had pursued to keep an eye on her. Meanwhile, Rayla had gone back inside the cliffside to report Callum's success in connecting to his last arcanum to Amaya, as well as letting her know the plan to be home within the next two months.

Ezran turned away, doing what he could to shoo the kids away and give the couple some privacy. He was happy for Soren and Zephyr, and he also liked the idea of Wendell and his family dropping into Novus for a wedding some time in the future. Maybe his wife could make some of her delicious cloud cakes for the occasion. For that to happen, though, they needed privacy now.

"Have you ever seen a human and an elf kissing before?" one of the children asked another. None of the kids looked disgusted or upset, simply confused. Ezran supposed that was the preferable option.

"No," said the one being spoken to. "Before yesterday, I never saw a human before."

"You think the grown ups are going to freak out when we tell them?" another child asked.

"I get to tell my parents first!" squealed one of the smallest, raising her hands excitedly.

"I get to tell mine earlier than first!" said another small one. The rest of this conversation was lost to Ezran as they had gotten far enough away from the couple to be comfortable, and he managed to free himself of the small crowd to go to Callum and Claudia, who were at the western edge of the pass. By their standoffish postures alone, they seemed to be arguing about something. Ezran was only stopped in his tracks for a moment when he saw Claudia practically pounce on Callum in a kiss, which spurred him into a run.

* * *

Claudia felt euphoria running through her for the instant before she was shoved away. She stumbled away, Callum increasing the distance between them by backing away. He looked furious. "What are you doing?"

Claudia ignored the ping of fear; she'd never known Callum to yell before, especially at her. "I know how you felt about me when we were kids Callum. You don't need to pretend with that elf anymore."

"There's no pretend here, I love her." Callum told her, spacing out the last trio of words.

"Callum!" Their attention was averted when Ezran came running up to them, followed at a distance by Soren, Zephyr and Rayla – who was looking absolutely murderous. "What's happening?"

Callum's response as the others reached them was to fix Claudia with a harsh glare. "Nothing. Nothing's happening and nothing will."

"Oh, I get it." Claudia said, returning the glare defiantly. Her eyes flitted over to the Moonshadow elf who looked like she was seconds away from shredding Claudia with her swords. "You were in love with me and got your feelings hurt, so you ran to her to get back at me." She said, gesturing to Rayla. Claudia knew that, once again, she was taking stabs in the dark, but something in her refused to let the issue rest, refused to admit defeat.

Callum didn't even blink, but he did begin to approach her. Had she not been so wrapped up in her own ideas of what this meant, she would have noticed the rigid posture and cold expression that said, plainly, that he wasn't happy. He stopped less then a foot from here – bright and dark green eyes looked into each other – and he spoke clearly and slowly; "I would never fall in love with the person you are now."

Somehow, this statement above the others seemed to get though the Claudia because her eyes widened in shock. She felt herself being roughly yanked away and thrown back into the snow. When she pulled herself back up, she looked around.

The Moonshadow elf seemed to have been the one who threw her back, because she was now in Callum's arms, the sight making Claudia want to vomit. He was looking at her with worry and apology, and she was giving his face comforting strokes; it was alright, she knew he didn't mean for this to happen. To the side, Zephyr, hand-in-hand with Soren, was looking at the couple worriedly. Soren and Ezran were wearing similar reproachful looks as they stared at her. Besides those three, there was a sparse gathering of young Earthblood elves looking between her and Callum; a lot of them were probably too young to understand what was happening.

"Ezran, go find a dragon." Callum said, looking at his brother. "Take Claudia home. I'm done dealing with her."

"If your going home anyway, take this with you." Rayla added, walking over to Ezran and producing a letter from her pocket. "It's the report your aunt wanted."

"Right." Ezran nodded, taking the letter, and took off to find a dragon, leaving Claudia under the keen eyes or Soren and Rayla in the meantime.

Before nightfall, Claudia would find herself back in her prison cell in Novus, this time with her wrests in chains, the cell cleaned of even the tiniest critters, and most hauntingly, her spell book being burnt to ashes right in front of her eyes.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Hopefully, this will help to patch up whatever issues there are; focusing on developing character motivations and relationships, mostly because I've been racking my brain over what I wanted to when the time came and I finally put my ideas down pat, at least with these three. In order for us to care, we need to see how the characters react to each other, so I delayed the time-skip one chapter to put some focus were focus is sorely needed, Soren and Zephyr, and Claudia. Review.

**IMPORTANT**: I'm afraid these updates will be changed from (mostly) weekly to at least bi-weekly, possibly tri-weekly. I've started back at work, meaning I won't have as much time to write. That way I can still have the time to put out quality chapters. Thank you for understanding.


	41. The Chess Master

**Chapter Forty-one: The Chess Master**

The softness and shallowness of the snow was one of those uncomfortable things that nobody wanted to acknowledge. Because of that, yesterday's return to Novus wasn't the triumphant reunion that any of them had been expecting. It was still a happy time for everybody involved, the thinning snow and melting ice simply cast a shadow over it; a shadow that seemed to be continuing today.

It was late in the morning when Callum finally arose. No one begrudged him a little extra sleep in light of not only the past months of rigorous training, but also the danger that loomed ahead. The house was quiet as he moved through it, leading him to think everyone else must have been up by now.

Callum stopped at the bottom of the stairs, were a small mirror stood on the wall. His hair was looking a little ragged after the months out of town, but he otherwise looked well-rested. His eyes dropped to the scarf worn by his reflection, knowing that there was the beginning of a huge, red scar hidden beneath it. Turning back to himself, Callum searched his own gaze, though he couldn't imagine what there was to see. Despite everything, it was still him.

A pair of thin arms snuck beneath his arms and snaked around his lower chest as a slim body pressed against his backside. Callum smiled, seeing in the mirror that Rayla had come up behind him and rested her head on his back.

"Hey." He told her, turning around in her grasp to face her and wrap his own arms around her.

"Hey." She replied, quickly melting into the embrace. "I waited for you."

Callum gave a short laugh. "Yeah, sorry about that. It's been a busy couple of months, you know? So, where is everyone?"

"Your aunt left on some kind of morning patrol a couple of hours ago, Ezran took Mira into town for something or other, and Soren is probably still at Zephyr's."

"Oh yeah, he did decide to spend the night with her." Callum remembered. He thought warily of how things would be when they met up because Soren seemed to be set on something that night – something that couldn't be spoken of in the presence of a small child – and by the look he had given Callum, the former guard clearly intended on bragging. "He's going to try to tell me about it, isn't he?"

"Probably." Rayla said as she extracted herself from his arms and led him to the couch, where they settled in together. "He'll probably also ask why we haven't done things like that before, with us having been together longer."

This led to another small bout of laughter from both of them. The biggest reason was simply because neither wanted to incur Amaya's wrath. After discovering that humans and elves were capable of breeding, the woman had sat Callum and Rayla down in private and spelled out to the mortified pair that she was much too young to be the equivalent of a grandmother, and so it would be their heads if she ever caught wind of them doing such things.

"I'll just tell him it's not a good time to risk it." Callum said, pulling her to his side and allowing her to lean on him. "I'm not even sure I want you in whatever's about to happen now."

"I can take care of myself, and anyone else who comes along." Rayla retorted before she gave a puzzled pause. "When did talking about Soren turn into us talking about having kids?"

Callum shrugged. "Speaking of, how's your mother doing?"

"She's itching for something to do." Rayla said, having paid her parents a long visit last night. She had seen that her mother's stomach was getting larger. It had somehow solidified to Rayla that in less than a year, she'd really have a little sibling. "Dad barely lets her leave the house. Oh, that reminds me, he wants to talk to you." When Callum appeared to tense, Rayla quickly added: "He says it's nothing bad, he just wants to talk."

"Unless he finds out what we were just talking about." Callum half-joked. He didn't really think Lain would risk his relationship with his daughter over hypotheticals, but he'd heard some scary things about overprotective parents.

* * *

Amer was too on edge to be disorientated at the astral plain. It was only the second time this had happened to him. He looked at Aaravos who was watching Callum and the Moonshadow elf exit their home.

"Why are we spying on these freaks?" Had he not also been so exhausted with fear, maybe Amer would have also held his tongue better.

"Only a sensible precaution." Aaravos answered. "Our dear Callum has connected to all arcanums and needs only to master the magic of the last four primal sources. A feat that couldn't possibly take less than a full year. Possibly two if he wants to be thorough."

"Then he's not an archmage yet?" Amer asked.

"We mustn't underestimate our enemies, Amer." Aaravos said, not looking away from Callum. Amer eyed the Startouch elf, trying to not be too obvious with his anger. He despised the man as much as anyone and he wished he had the courage to at least attempt to overtake him. It would be easy, he told himself, and he'd be hailed as a hero even if he failed. So why couldn't he make a move?

"You are perfectly welcome to have whatever emotions you wish for me, it doesn't matter." Aaravos said, finally looking away from Callum and to Amer, who's eyes widened in horror. Seeing as Aaravos seemed to always have that smirk and those eyes that burrowed into your soul, Amer had chosen to deem this expression unreadable. "As I told you, there will be no trouble if you play your part correctly. What lies beyond that is your own affair."

"I hate you." Amer said, meaning for his tone to be seething but unsure if he succeeded in it. Aaravos didn't seem effected either way. Deep down, Amer could see why. It was such a toothless statement, with all that this elf had done assuming half of those nursery stories he'd heard as a boy were true along with what was verified by history.

"Many seem to." Aaravos said, his voice not holding a hint of caring. "I don't require your respect, only your obedience. If it would ensure your loyalty, might I make a suggestion on a new target? Someone to…take things out on, as it were?" This seemed to get Amer's attention. "The entire reason I was able to return to this plain was because of the mage, Viren."

Amer was quiet, listening. He'd heard Aaravos thank Viren before killing him, claiming to have owed him. But what target could he be? He was dead. Aaravos went on. "He may be gone, but his line lives on."

Realization dawned on Amer as Viren's son approached Callum and the two began talking. Yes, if everyone at least knew that he had wiped out the line of the dark mage who resurrected Aaravos, they'd have to respect him. People would revere him, his fellow Sunfire elves would welcome him home and he'd regain his Princehood. No! No, that treacherous sister of his would regret what she did and step down as queen, then she'd go into exile to be with the humans she loved so much and he could bring the Sunfire elves back to greatness as their king.

"I'll destroy them both." His words were serine, almost dreamy, as he let his imagination run wild. "You can handle Callum and whoever else, but those two are my kills."

Aaravos was amused by this statement. It was quite the shame he and Claudia never got along to start with; they were quite alike in many ways. Still, his grin grew at the look on the little fool's face. Oh yes, he had struck the right chord this time.

* * *

Soren grinned cockily at an uneasy-looking Callum, both blissfully unaware of the vengeful epiphany that had been set on the young soldier.

"Okay, I-I really don't need to know anymore." Callum raised his hands in a plea for silence before things got too graphic, and Soren gave an amused chuckle. "And anyway, you two haven't been together that long. It's kind of early to be getting physical."

"Oh, how would you know?" Soren asked good-naturedly. "How long have you and Rayla been together, almost three years now? And I've never heard about any –" Soren paused to look around them, seeing some children playing with a ball not too far away. He carried on, turning back to Callum, and chose his next words carefully. "Uh, playtime, between you two. Unless –"

"No, no, no!" Callum interjected hurriedly, the hot blush on his cheeks such a contrast to the cold morning air, that it almost burned painfully. "We haven't. And if we did, I wouldn't go around bragging about it."

"Why is that, by the way?" Soren asked. "You two pretty much lived together at the Storm Spire before, and you can barely go a day without getting cozy. It just seems weird to me."

Callum's blush of intrigue turned to one of embarrassment as he quickly and discreetly recounted Amaya's old promise to make him and Rayla sorry for it if she found out they had done anything that would likely render her late sister a grandmother and herself a great-aunt, which even today, she claimed to be much too young for. Embarrassment turned to aggravation when, come the end of the story, Soren burst out laughing.

* * *

Somehow, in the next hour, Callum had managed to lose Soren. As he sauntered through the village, he looked around in a lax manner. He spotted Zephyr and Rayla talking in the distance, and by the way Rayla was covering her ears and making a disgusted face and Zephyr was looking at her like she was being immature, he could imagine that Zephyr, like Soren, greatly enjoyed their night together.

At another point, Callum stopped to watch a small group made up of Mira, Ezran, Bait, Ellis and Ava. Mira and Ava were playing, and Callum was first surprised, then uncomfortable, to see Ellis look at him longingly, with the same look of adoration that a lot of girls gave him. Discomfort turned to worry when Callum's gaze turned to Ezran, who was staring at him with a mixture of jealousy, betrayal and apology. Callum moved on, keen to get away from this scene; he knew this was another talk he now needed to have with Ezran, but one potentially family-destroying conversation at a time.

* * *

Within ten minutes, he was at Lain and Tiadrin's home, sitting opposite the man at their dining table. Callum sat almost obediently, trying to look as none-threatening as possible as he returned the elf's look, which was somehow awkward and dignified at the same time. Tiadrin – who Callum had seen was indeed visibly pregnant now – had ushered him and Rayla in almost eagerly and dragged her bewildered husband from wherever he was. She'd been unmindful of Lain's annoyed gaze that chased her out of the room. Rayla followed her mother at her insistence, clearly just as confused as Callum. He imagined they were just in the other room.

Plucking up his courage, Callum spoke. "I'm not what you always imagined for your daughter, am I?"

"No, you're not." Lain's voice was even and calm. "Rayla aside, no one could have imagined anything like you could possibly exist only five years ago. But mage or not, you're still a human."

"I love your daughter." Callum told him, his heart flooding with affection for the young elf just in the other room. "And she loves me. You and your wife, your unborn child, you live here now, not with the other elves. You don't have to worry about honor anymore."

"Yes, I'm aware." Lain said. "But it's the mentality that I grew up with. I see nothing wrong with valuing personal honor, nor does Tiadrin, and we plan to raise our coming child to value the same. Of course, we did raise Rayla in the same way."

A prick of annoyance tinged Callum at the words. He knew that Lain probably didn't mean to insinuate, even without an unhappy tone, that he considered his daughter dishonorable; they both knew that Rayla was very honorable, she just placed her ideals over that honor.

"Stubborn girl, but I love her with all my heart." Lain said with a tired-sounding sigh as if remembering what must have been a rough time raising such a headstrong child. "And I do want her to be happy. If her happiness truly lies with you, then I suppose it's no choice of mine." Callum blinked, hardly believing what he'd just heard. "You two have my blessing, so long as you take care of her."

Managing to contain his joy, Callum asked: "What made you change your mind?" And Lain told him about Amer showing up months ago, and how it had shaken Lain to his core to hear his own words spilling from that pathetic lump's mouth.

* * *

"So, what are you thinking of learning first?" Soren asked. It was afternoon and getting colder as the sun retreated, so the boys, Rayla and Zephyr had regrouped as they headed for home for a hot meal. Ezran and Mira, they understood, were already home.

"I'm not sure." Callum said. "I mean, I know I don't know any star spells, but I don't even really understand that primal myself, so I don't know what would be useful."

"Maybe talk to Kaiya?" Zephyr suggested. "Didn't she once say her daughter was a star mage?"

Callum thought about it as a chill overtook him, and not just from the icy breeze. It was a shutter of realization as he stopped to observe the shadows cast by houses and trees, how they faded and darkened with each cloud that passed over the sun. His mind went back to some months ago to his refusal of Aaravos following their visit to Aviana. That shadow spell he'd seen. If he was looking for useful, he'd need to know that spell.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: All glory to the Undertale reference! Rant time: It's always bugged me in media when people are shocked to get pregnant when they've been going at it like rabbits. One would think that where babies come from would be common knowledge among adults, but apparently not, and Amaya doesn't seem like the type who would overlook the possibility. Okay, rant over. Anyway, sorry if this was boring or even a little sloppy, it was mostly just set up for coming chapters, in which things are going to start picking up. Review.


	42. Moving On

**Chapter Forty-two: Moving On**

Callum's vision was beginning to reel as a result of this latest crash into a tree trunk. In the weeks since he'd returned home, he had been working from sunrise to sunset to learn it. He mentally cursed Aaravos for whatever this was. Yesterday, it dawned on Callum to ask Kaiya about a spell that allows you to disappear into shadows, which she claimed to be advanced earth magic. Rayla had taken Umbra back to Shadow Pass to see if the small library in Terry's parents' bedroom included a book with this spell in it. Since then, Callum had been doing the only thing he could; trying again and again to execute the spell with only the rune and the incantation; Umbra Intinrantur. He knew higher level spells required something more – a certain mentality or intent – to pull off, but without knowing what it was, this was hopeless.

His entire backside was covered in cold muck; the snow was melting quickly, giving way to a ground made of slush and mud, which other than getting him dirty, only served to warn Callum that time was running out.

"Callum!" Callum looked up to the sky to see Rayla riding on Umbra's back, and they were coming toward him. Umbra landed a few feet from him, allowing Rayla to get off before taking to the sky once more. Rayla had a large book under her arm, which itself sported a bookmark.

"Did you find it?" he asked, and she nodded and opened the book. She started skimming as he approached her.

"It says that to travel through shadows, you need to be sure of where you want to go and know that there is a big enough shadow there to travel through."

Callum looked around, seeing small shadows all over the place. "It's noon now. Maybe we should wait until the shadows are longer."

"Sounds good." Rayla told her, taking a moment to look over his appearance; backside of clothes soaked through and caked with mud and bruises developing all over his front. "You certainly look like you could use the rest."

They hardly moved to start back to the village when Soren came charging through the trees. "Callum! Rayla!" The wide smile on Soren's face only faltered when he tripped over a raise in the ground, sending him tumbling the last few feet from Callum and Rayla. Getting up, he shook his head clear, now also covered in slush and mud.

"Woah, are you okay?" Callum asked as Soren scrambled hurriedly to his feet.

"It's fine, I just bumped my head a little." Soren said, his triumphant smile back on his face.

"Oh good, nothing important got hurt." Rayla quipped.

"Say whatever you want, nothing can possibly ruin my mood today!" Soren proudly stated, puffing his chest out.

"Why, did you get into something?" Rayla asked, raising an eyebrow. Her and Callum's mental processes seemed to stop at Soren's ecstatic declaration.

"Zephyr's pregnant!"

* * *

"How can you be so stupid?" Gren's voice sounded from the other room, sounding more firm than furious, which was what Ezran had seen on his aunt's face in the moments between receiving the news and being shoed out of the kitchen and into the sitting room. Ezran thought, if Aunt Amaya could hear how mild Gren's voice was, she'd hit him upside the head until he was screaming bloody murder like she clearly meant to.

It was himself and Mira sitting on the couch, with Bait lounging on one of Ezran's legs and Mira pressed up close to him; she, like most small children including himself and his brother at some point, had what seemed to be an instinctual fear of the general when she was angry. A part of Ezran thought that at least some of this anger was frustration at herself; as she watched them grow closer over the years and their relationship get more and more physical, she had watched her elder nephew and his beloved like a hawk. She had completely neglected to keep an eye on Soren's romantic exploits as well.

"We've done nothing wrong, General." Zephyr's voice defended steadily. "We're both adults, we love each other, shouldn't that be enough?"

"This isn't about propriety," Gren's voice came in a tone that said he was still in the process of translating. "it's about timing. Soren is one of my best guards, he's coming with us to defend the Dragon Queen when the time comes. What if something were to happen to him?"

No answer. Ezran couldn't help but think there was a lot more to this fear of Aunt Amaya's then he knew about; while it was a valid point, it was also pretty odd that it would be at the forefront of her mind so that she'd find the reason so quickly. Maybe he'd ask her about it when things calmed down. Of course, that could take hours.

The door opened and in came Soren, eyes still gleaming with joy, followed a bit more timidly by Callum and Rayla. They must have anticipated the general's mood from the moment they heard the news. As Soren went on into the kitchen, not even losing stride, Ezran and Mira looked at the couple.

"Aunt Amaya's mad." Callum stated, dryly.

"She is." Ezran confirmed, just as dry.

"Want to come with us?" Rayla asked, a mischievous grin on her face. "We need to tell Claudia the good news." Ezran smiled at this idea.

* * *

"WHAT?"

The scream was so loud, the council members in a far room were startled.

"What do you mean that Skywing elf is pregnant?" Claudia demanded, her eyes wide with shock.

"Exactly that." Rayla said. "Soren also said they're planning a summer wedding and he's moving in with her now."

Claudia's reply to this was something between a gasp and a sharp sigh. "It's disgusting! Dad –"

"Is gone!" Even Callum was surprised at his outburst; he knew very well it was coming and had planned for it to be a fair bit gentler, but something in him just seemed to snap. Maybe it was his new complete lack of even friendly feelings toward Claudia – that little stunt she pulled back at Shadow Pass had thoroughly squashed any positive feelings he still harbored for her – or maybe it was lingering hatred he felt towards Viren himself. Or a bit of both, perhaps. Whatever the case, regretful or not, he didn't stop to apologize; this was something the woman needed to hear. "He's not among the stars with King Harrow or my mother, looking down on us. He's in the dim world, not seeing what's happening. And anyway, what better punishment could there be besides the dim world itself? Someone who hated elves, having his line carried on by them, and through the very son he abandoned?"

As Claudia, Ezran and Mira watched, stunned at this sudden hostility from someone who had always been so calm and collected, Rayla recognized this instantly; the same building anger she had seen months ago during their confrontation with Aaravos. The same pressure building up like a volcano or dam. She knew it had to be released someday, but not now. Rayla came up behind Callum and embraced him as she had when they had gotten back home weeks ago, though perhaps her grip today was a little tighter, more desperate. She let out a relieved sigh as she felt Callum relax against her.

Claudia's face hardened at the way Callum calmed under the Moonshadow elf's touch. That should have been her who was able to sooth his anger. She would have begun taunting them that it was surprising they weren't the ones who'd gotten pregnant with how shameless they were always being, but she was in no mood right now. She turned away. "Get out of here. Tell Soren that he's dead to me. I don't want any part of his wedding and I don't care about some halfling."

Callum's eyes hardened on her, staring at her form down until Rayla tugged his wrist, leading him away with one hand and Mira with the other. Ezran took a moment more to look back at her before he left; was this really that fun, kooky, kind girl that Callum used to follow around like a lost puppy when they were kids? He could certainly believe she was the same woman who would have had him killed almost three years ago at the foot of the Storm Spire, he still had nightmares about that. Giving a heavy sigh, he turned away after a few seconds and followed the others.

Claudia couldn't believe Callum. Even with how much he'd changed, how could see say those things? For once, she didn't consider this to be the Moonshadow elf's fault, at least not alone. It was all of them, his trouncing around with all those elves and dragons, connecting to those primal sources – something humans weren't even supposed to be able to do – must have done something to his brain, severed his loyalty to his own kind in favor of those monsters. She did admit that, growing up, her father had never seemed overly fond of Callum. Apparently, Sarai and Amaya hadn't been born nobles like Viren or Harrow, just a pair of common solders who only gained recognition – and the at-the-time prince's attention in Sarai's case – by raising through the ranks. Viren felt that some peasant boy who was in the palace only by luck was undeserving to walk among the highborn such as himself, let alone refer to his king as 'father'. Still, it didn't warrant the things he had said about her father.

Feeling eyes on her, Claudia turned to the bars of her cells. A hot wave of anger washed over her at the sight of not only Soren, but his little Skywing floozy. They were holding hands. The elf's look was pleading, and Soren's was reproachful. Claudia could imagine they had met Callum and the others just outside the door and they had revealed the things she had said about this development.

"What?" Claudia barked. The next thing she hear was both surprising and irritating.

"Claudia, you're my sister and I love you." Soren told her firmly. "I want my child to know their aunt –"

"Oh, don't even try!" Claudia interrupted, getting to her feet. "I'd rather rot in here than have anything to do with some halfling. Do you have any idea what you've done? One of the greatest high mages in the history of Katolis, banished and disgraced, defeated when all he was trying to do was save humanity from Xadia. And now, his own son is having a half-elven child?" Her voice dropped to a calmness. "It's disgusting." Soren sighed in exasperation.

"Claudia, I know our family meant a lot to you, especially after mom left." Soren began. "But she's gone and Viren's dead." Claudia turned away at this, as if her stubborn denial of this would bring Viren back. "But people are moving on. They _have_ moved on. Once Callum defeats Aaravos, this'll all be over." Soren looked at Zephyr and pulled her closer to him. "I'm starting my own family," he said, tenderly, before looking back at his sister. "and we want to offer you the chance. Please, come with us. We talked it over, you can find something else to do. You could give up dark magic, come live with us and help us raise –"

Claudia's thoughts about this came so rapidly, that to Soren and Zephyr, it seemed that her eyes brightened with excitement only for the briefest moment before turning dull and saddened again. She had to admit, it did sound nice. It would be tough to give up dark magic, but maybe she could do it; maybe take up something else in its place like research or some kind of science. Maybe she could do whatever it was Callum had done to connect to the primal sources. Maybe her father was horribly misguided, and the elves weren't that bad. Callum and Soren, after all, were both good judges of character, so there must have been some redeeming things about those girls, at least. But the word 'family' was what really stuck with her. Could…could she really have a family again? For a moment, memories of seeing Amaya with Callum and Ezran filled her mind; the way the woman played with her nephews, taught them her signs, snuck them extra after-dinner sweets behind their father's back. A painful pang of longing suddenly came over Claudia, and she could almost see the child now.

"Shut up!" The yell cut Soren off and he and Zephyr looked started. Even though Claudia hadn't meant to say that, she knew instantly that what she was thinking of – what Soren was suggesting – was just pipe dreaming. Even if she took them up on her offer, she'd never shake the suspicious looks she would get, the gossip that would follow her for the rest of her life. And the idea that she could give up dark magic now was rapidly deflating in her mind as a silly little notion. Most importantly, if Viren really was as bad as everyone seemed to think – hypothetically, of course – would those whispers and looks start following this hybrid grandchild, as well? And when exactly had she started crying? She took in a deep breath and just managed to keep her voice steady. "It's too late for that."

Soren's face fell in disappointment. The brightening of her eyes had gotten his hopes up. Maybe he'd try again on another day, after she'd had time to think it over. "Okay." He gestured for Zephyr to follow him, which she did. The closing of the door leading to the cell rang in Claudia's ears for a few minutes, sounding loud, however quiet it was in reality. Now alone, Claudia dropped to her knees and started to sob. What had she done?

* * *

It was early the next morning, so much so that the sun was just rising. Callum awoke feeling a bit sore thanks to all of his fresh bruises. He had tried shadow travel a few more times when the shadows had begun growing longer yesterday evening, even successfully pulling it off a couple of times. Still, there was quite a bit of practice he needed before he could do it masterfully. Callum closed his eyes, hoping the light drumming on the roof coupled with the rain spattering the window would lull him back to sleep.

Callum practically jumped up from bed with a start. He looked up, and his heart began racing at the sight of the morning rain outside.

* * *

At the top of the Storm Spire, Ibis looked gravely out at the rain, his ears filling with what should have been a soothing sound mixed with the yips of young dragons. The elf momentarily looked aside himself, seeing Prince Azymondias and Princess Kimaare approaching. The princess looked wary at the unfamiliar whether, but as usual, Azymondias' playfulness and fondness of rain seemed to spill over and soon they were frolicking in the rain without a care in the world. Oh, how Ibis envied the young; so blissfully unaware of the danger that lay ahead. What would happen to them in worse came to worst, to say nothing of his newly discovered grandchild-to-be?

"Ibis." Queen Zubeia's voice was solemn as it captured his attention. She was a few feet into the cavern, so as to be sheltered from the rain, but still able to keep a watchful eye over her children while they played. Elf and dragon looked eyes, both feeling how heavy the rain made their hearts. "Winter has come to an end."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Funny story, the writing format I use is one of those formats that edit as you go, especially grammar, right? Well, at one point, I got an error saying a comma was supposed to be a semicolon, so I changed it. Format then decides that the comma was better, so I change it back. For the second before it reconsidered and found the semicolon needed, and so this continues for a good two minutes. Technology, right? Anyway, I hope Soren and Zephyr's relationship has been developed enough for this and that the pregnancy isn't out of nowhere. Review.


	43. Setting It Right

**Chapter Forty-three: Setting It Right**

Mira didn't know what it was about this morning, but she felt strangely bold. Amaya had already gone to that patrol thing like she always did before sunup and Soren had gone to live with Zephyr a week ago. This left her with Callum, Rayla and Ezran for the morning, and it seemed that everyone was still asleep.

Mira snuck out the door. The air was getting warmer and the snow was gone. She knew she wasn't allowed to leave the house without someone with her, and maybe that's why she had this uneasy feeling, like she'd be in trouble if she got caught. In the past months, all she had needed to do was grab the escort of her choosing and tug them to the door if she wanted to go outside, and they had always complied and seemed happy about it, but how would they feel about this?

She put those thoughts out of her mind and focused on what she had come out here for. Yesterday, she had been with Rayla and Callum, watching Callum train in different magics from dawn to dusk. For the past week, it was all they seemed to do; Ezran had told her that, if not for Amaya keeping an eye on that sort of thing, Callum would probably forget to eat. She didn't know what all the training was about, maybe it had something to do with all the dragons that have been coming to and from the Storm Spire lately. Still, her mind drifted back to a strange stone something she had glimpsed in the distance; something too far away to see clearly. That's what she was going to check out, even if everyone was still asleep. It was easy to make her way to the road outside the village, she'd been able to memorize it with how often they ended up going that way lately.

"Hey," Mira was startled less by the sudden word than she was by the hands that picked her up and lifted her off the ground. She looked behind her to see her captor. It was Callum, and thankfully he didn't seem upset by the smile and raised eyebrow he was giving her. "where do you think you're going in such a hurry?"

They were on the edge of the village, with the landscape sprawling out in front of them. The woods were off to the side, where Callum had been training none-stop for days. Even from here, the massive stone was visible. Mira pointed to the stone that couldn't be less then two or three miles away. By the way Callum's expression changed from gentle to a look she didn't have the word for, he definitely saw it, but the look worried her. He didn't look happy. What if Callum just carried her home and told her not to go out by herself again?

But that didn't happen. Instead, he set her down on her feet. "Lead the way, then." Mira smiled proudly, grabbed Callum's hand and if he hadn't been going so slow, she would have been running, now all the more eager to see the big stone. Callum didn't know what to think of her eagerness. What would he say to her? It was such a dark stain on the history or both humans and dragons, would Mira be able to comprehend while still so small? Finally, they made it to a huge, looming figure, only slightly larger than the Dragon Queen, with the gruesome sights of large pieces broken off – part of an arm there, a wing there – trailing behind the stone creature. An outstretched claw reached out in the direction they'd come, toward the spire, and the structure was now becoming covered in moss in some places.

Thunderfall.

The structure was so tall, and Mira leaned back so far to be able to see it, she nearly fell over. Callum laughed to himself at her bumbling, and feeling less then dignified, Mira pouted and glared up at him as if to ask what was so funny. "Here, see if this helps." He told her, picking her up and placing her on his shoulders. Mira swayed a bit in this unfamiliar placement, Callum offering a small security by holding her by the ankles. Soon, she was able to steady herself by latching onto his head, despite his lack of horns to hold on to.

From her new vantage point, Mira was able to get a better look at this rather scary image, for the first time recognizing the shape as a massive dragon. She'd never even heard the story of King Avizandum before, and now she was faced with his remains.

"It's called Thunderfall." Callum explained, his eyes drawn to the spear in the late king's heart, his mother's spear. Callum remembered how, while telling him the horrible news, Harrow had gone out of his way to pretend he didn't blame anyone – not even the Dragon King himself – for what had happened Sarai, telling him that these things just happened sometimes. It was about a year before it happened when he'd overheard Viren and his stepfather talking and realized that the man had lied to him; he hated the Dragon King, acting as though Sarai's death was somehow a calculated act of cruelty, for which the dragon deserved to pay. It had almost felt like a betrayal.

Now as a young adult, Callum was also able to look back and realize that this had attributed to the distance that had plagued his relationship with the only father he'd ever known. Callum still loved the man with his whole being, but in the end that relationship had taught him what not to do. He might not be Mira's father, nor would whoever she would eventually end up placed with be, – Huh. Why did that idea cause a spark of discomfort in him? – but that didn't mean she didn't need a father figure right now. This reflection seemed to warn Callum to choose his words carefully; omitting details was better than outright lying.

"I'm not sure if you're ready to hear the story just yet," Callum told her carefully, "all you need to know right now is that this is what comes from hatred. King Avizandum wasn't completely innocent, but he still didn't deserve this." Callum felt Mira bunching his hair up in her small fists, and her posture shift uneasily. "It's okay, Mira. The man who did this is gone. He can't hurt anyone anymore." Guilt and unease panged in Callum's heart as he continued to look between the spear and the outstretched claw. At that moment, he realized it; he didn't even know who he was talking about, King Harrow or Viren. Of course, Viren was the obvious culprit, having set the stage for the tragedy and then had been the one to insist on revenge when Harrow was content to leave the past in the past, despite his own feelings on the matter. But Harrow was the one who actually did the deed, the one with the blood on his hands, the one who allowed himself to be swayed by some well-chosen words to kill a fellow father, ensuring that he would never see his son at all. "And if something like this does happen again, we won't let anyone hurt you."

"There you two are." Came Rayla's almost relieved-sounding voice as she came down the path to meet them. Her steps slowed, then stopped, as she looked mournfully up at the frozen remains of King Avizandum, ruler of the Xadia she'd grown up in. From what Rayla had told Callum and Ezran over the years, the Dragon King sounded like he and their father, under vastly different circumstances, could have gotten along famously; they faced many of the same problems. Both in truth had the power to end the war once and for all at any time, but both were almost afraid to do it; afraid of being seen as weak by one another as well as their own people, and of whatever changes the end of the war would bring about. And so, they had willingly kept the cycle of revenge going, and it had ended in both of their deaths. Rayla broke her gaze away, turning back to Callum. "Callum, Queen Zubeia needs to see us at once."

* * *

There was quite the crowd in the queen's chambers, possibly about the same size as the crowd that she had been greeted with as she awoke to meet her son for the first time. Callum, flanked by Rayla and Ezran as he had been on that night, allowed his eyes to dart around to pick out familiar faces. Around him were the current Dragonguard, Ibis, Kaiya, Jinku, Braise, another Sunfire elf who had replaced Amer named Amical, and Malin and Lykis had returned from the Moon Nexus. Amaya, Gren, Corvis, Soren and Lain were also standing at attention, looking just as proud and focused at the Dragonguard. Other than that, Queen Janai, a trio of her most elite solders, Zephyr and Wendel were also present.

"I'm sure you all know why you are here." The Dragon Queen said. Wrapped safely in her tail were Zym and Kimaare, who were for once being quiet and still as they seemed to read the mood of the chambers; this wasn't the time for play. "We've known Aaravos is back for some time now." This statement was met with visible steeling from the elves and only the briefest flashes of conflict in the eyes of the humans, neither of which the queen minded. "He has been going around Xadia, siphoning magic to regain his mastery as an archmage. The final primal source, sky, will be something he can only acquire at the pinnacle of the Storm Spire, during a thunderstorm. Now that spring has arrived, such a storm could be any day now."

A murmur of alarm broke out among various pairs, which were quickly silenced. "Calm yourselves, all of you. Ibis has called his son, Wendell, who is a healer, here until the threat has passed. For now, Wendell will be staying with his sister in Novus, as will Azymondias and Kimaare. It is too dangerous to have them at the spire, and so they will be in Novus, out of harm's way, until further notice.

"Finally," the queen continued, "defenses around the spire will be increased. I have asked Lykis and Malin to return from their posts at the Moon Nexus, and Queen Janai of the Sunfire elves has offered her assistance as well. We have reason to believe a former Dragonguard, Amer of the Sunfire elves, is in league with Aaravos. If this is true, then Amer is to be treated like any other enemy and given no mercy."

Amaya and Janai, standing close together, exchanged an unsure look; even now Janai couldn't really wrap her mind around it. Honestly, the siblings had rarely gotten along even as children, which had made it easy for Janai to exile her brother and it probably wouldn't end her world to put him out of his misery, but it just didn't make sense. Amer had always been a coward in the face of something he couldn't haughtily turn his nose up at and taunt from the safety of his position, but she never imagined he could be either this malicious or just plain stupid. The queen took the general's hand, looking for some sort of reassurance.

* * *

Callum and the others had returned home, minus Ezran who had stayed behind to speak to Queen Zubeia in private. Callum could imagine this was about appointing a regent, something their father hadn't had the foresight to do for Ezran. Hopefully, nothing would happen to Queen Zubeia, but if it did, neither Zym nor Kimaare were anywhere near old enough to take on the responsibilities of rulership. A regent, someone to take up the throne and watch over the little ones as they grew, was sorely needed if the worst was in store.

Bait grumbled, pretending to be annoyed as the two frisky baby dragons seemed to have chosen him as the center of whatever game they were now playing. Rather than with Zephyr, Wendell would be taking Soren's old room for the time being, and the extra room in the house itself would also be put to use by Zym and Kimaare.

The sun was beginning to set when Ezran finally got home. He barely broke stride as he joined the others for dinner and confirmed Callum's suspicions about the talk of a regent. Zephyr and Soren had also elected to stay for dinner, partly for Zephyr and Windel to catch up, and partly to give an update on the baby, which was apparently needed after only a week if Soren was to be believed.

It was lucky they didn't own many fragile, breakable things, at least that they kept out in the open, because a young child plus two baby dragons, one a sky dragon, meant that after dinner there were many hyper feet running from room to room. At least Mira was able to be swooped up by Rayla when she was getting too rowdy.

"I have an idea." She stated, partly to the girl and partly to Callum. "How about Callum shows you some of his drawings? He's an artist, you know." This seemed to do its job of calming Mira down. Well, she was still clearly hyper, but at least she wasn't running around anymore as she followed Callum upstairs to her and Rayla's room as Rayla and Wendell set to work chasing the two dragon-shaped balls of boundless energy around. Callum left for a moment and came back with the sketchbook she's been him meticulously drawing in many times before.

Mira was amazed by the life-like drawings. She'd never seen anything like it, she'd never thought to take a peek at the book. Some were of people she didn't know, but she recognized some of the faces; Callum himself, Rayla, Ezran, Amaya, Soren. Then there was a human couple that showed up every so often, strangely often with Callum and Ezran present, the man looking like an older Ezran, dressed in fine robs and wearing an unfamiliar crown, and the woman looking like a softer version of Amaya and wearing a smaller crown. Every so often, there were notes about magic, runes and things like that. In more recent pages, Mira saw herself, playing with adoraburrs, pouting, playing with Kimaare, sleeping in Rayla's arms.

When Callum turned the next page, it was blank. Mira tilted her head in confusion until Callum offered her the little charcoal pencil that came with the book. "Do you want to try?"

Like so many things, Mira couldn't remember the last picture she'd drawn, but she took the pencil. There was no way she could do anything as beautiful as any of Callum's drawings, it almost felt like anything she could scribble down would just be wasting a page, but it was obviously something he cared about and wanted to see. She couldn't let him down, and she'd also gotten better with pencils since she started her work with Amaya.

Callum smiled as he watched her go to work. The smile only grew when he tried to sneak a peek at her drawing, and she pulled the book away and hunched over it so he couldn't see. Callum laughed. For someone who had been so timid about taking the pencil, she sure all of a sudden cared about her drawing.

"Hey, guys." Callum looked up to see Rayla standing in the doorway. Mira was still focusing on her drawing. "It's time for little ones do be tucked in."

Callum was surprised, but looking out the window, the sun was already going down. He guessed it was still early in the season, but the acknowledgement of the time seemed to trigger an immediate reaction, with Mira now yawning and rubbing her eyes.

The drawing was over soon after, and she handed the book off to Callum, not pausing in her movements to crawl under her covers and pull her shadowpaw to her. Callum and Rayla's hearts warmed as they looked at the drawing.

It was the three of them. Just crude little stick figures, but by the scarf on one of the two bigger figures and the horns on the other, and the smaller figure between them, also with horns and a familiar stuffed shadowpaw in hand, they were easily recognizable. The three of them were incased together in a circle. Callum and Rayla smiled and looked down at the now sleeping child. The two gently stood up, Callum collecting his book and pencil and Rayla slowly walking to the head of the bed and kneeling down. A swell of love overwhelmed Callum, and he smiled when he watched Rayla kiss Mira on the forehead. Her smile grew and she pulled her stuffed toy closer to her.

When Callum and Rayla stood up to leave, Soren was in the doorway. Callum was about to tell him not to start saying things, but then he saw the older man's face. Much more tender than teasing, and he was looking from the two of them to the little girl sleeping in the bed. The glimmer in his eyes said it plainly; he couldn't wait to be able to have moments like that with Zephyr and their own son or daughter. Suddenly, Soren's smile fell, and his eyes lost their glimmer. He looked at Callum and Rayla with determination.

"I'll be better than him, I swear." Came Soren's soft words; they were right outside the room of a sleeping child, after all. "I'll be a better father then he could ever dream of being."

Callum and Rayla looked at each other with pity, silently slipped out of the room and closed the door so gently, there was no sound made to disturb the sleeping occupant. No sooner was Rayla's hand off the doorknob than she and Callum were each swept up in an arm and lifted off of the floor is a constricting hug. This didn't happen to her nearly as often as it did to Callum as Soren knew very well that she disliked the chokeholds he called hugs, but one look at the intense face that held so many raw emotions at once – anger, love, resolve, desperation – and she found herself allowing it, just this once.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: So, some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that the story is reaching its climax; we'll be done before we hit fifty chapters. That's also why we're getting all the sweet stuff (well, most of it) out of the way now. Kind of a bummer, huh? The good news is that we've seen our last filler chapter because I've got the last bunch drafted out already. Hopefully, I can stick the landing. Fair warning, though, heartbreak is afoot in the next chapter. Amical is French for 'friendly', in contrast to Amer. Review.


	44. The Storm

**Chapter Forty-four: The Storm**

The early morning sky was a cloudy, gray mess and the air smelled of impending rain. Before the first roll of thunder was heard, Callum, Wendel and Zephyr could all sense it as they stood in the village square. The sheer invigoration of a storm that awoke something in each of them, and that was all without mentioning the significant of this particular storm.

"It's time." Somehow, Rayla's sudden appearance behind Callum didn't faze him, though the siblings took surprised note of her. She looked at him. "Should I get everyone together?"

"Yeah, but don't send them up just yet." Callum told her, his eyes staying on the top of the spire, hidden by the clouds. "I need them to take something up for me." Without waiting for an answer, he ran back toward the house the two shared with what remained of his family as Rayla turned to Zephyr and Wendel.

In minutes, Zephyr, Tiadrin, Mira, Zym, Kimaare and Ezran, along with many other villagers, were gathered at the eastern border of the village, with Pyrrha standing before them, allowing Amaya, Janai and their guards to board, a lineup that included Soren and Lain. Callum came running with a large staff in hand, at which Lain and Tiadrin's eyes widened with amazement; at the top was a moon primal stone partially incased in an elegant crescent design. It couldn't be, could it? Callum handed it to Rayla, who took it carefully. Even if she herself wasn't one for magic, she still held the thing with a certain reverence.

"Is that?" Lain asked, stunned.

"The Scepter of Shadows, we know." Callum said quickly. "There's no time to explain, but I can't carry it up to the pinnacle with my wings; someone's going to need to bring it to me."

"You can count on me." Rayla promised, giving him a determined look. Callum smiled.

"I know." He said and the pair parted after a kiss. Rayla was the last to board the dragon.

Stepping back a foot or two, Callum and Wendell each summoned their mage wings – Wendel's wings were the same dark gray as his father's – and shot up so quickly that they left twin ripples of dust and dirt in their wake. The dragon was a bit slower getting off of the ground, but it was still much faster than walking.

As they ascended, Wendell was a bit higher up than Callum, and thus was the first to feel a raindrop on his face. The two broke apart at the top, with Wendel entering the inside of the Storm Spire and Callum going on to the pinnacle, as was the plan they had gone over a month ago; Wendel would meet up with the Dragon Queen and her guard to standby before anyone could get hurt, while Callum would go to confront Aaravos. Pyrrha would also come to the pinnacle with the others as reinforcements.

Callum thought he would be waiting at the pinnacle for the elf to show, but his eyes widened in horror to see that he was already there, holding the Scepter of Darkness to the sky, which was glowing white. By now strong wind was blowing, rain was falling, thunder rolled and lightening flashed. Being above the clouds, none of this could be seen, apart from the flashes of light in the clouds of course, but it was plain to hear and feel. The only sparks here were from the horribly over-powered primal stone. Callum watched, paralyzed, as a lightning bolt seemed to jump up from the clouds, and Callum could have sworn the bolt itself was absorbed by the staff. At the same moment, a curious thing happened. There was no rune drawn, but an incantation was spoken; "Da Imperium!"

Some sort of wispy, black seepage that was neither quite gas nor liquid spilled from the stone, flowing into Aaravos. Aaravos laughed, the power running through him with visible force so that his clothes and hair billowed in the gust around him, free from the rest of the storm. A high, crazed laugh that sounded so unlike the calm, quietly sinister foe Callum was familiar with. Callum knew he should have bolted forward or done something, but he was rooted to the spot, heart pounding in his ears, staring in shock. For the first time in years, he felt completely helpless.

* * *

Callum's expression of helplessness and terror, plus the roaring in his ears, were mirrored almost eerily by Wendel who had just come to the royal family's lair. It was a bloodbath. The walls and floor were splattered with blood, with bodies littered around, with Queen Zubeia herself looming over them, herself laying on the ground, desperately hurt. Hauntingly, no one moved or made a sound save for the queen, who's flanks heaved in deep breaths. Already feeling ill, he slowly approached Amical. In all his years, decades really, of healing, Wendell had never seen something like this.

Amical, even worse than the rest, had been brutalized. The stab wounds were many and sloppy, far more than was necessary to take a life. This…this spoke of the attacker's anger and desire to inflict suffering. Wendel had to look away, which is when his eyes rested on…

"Father!" Wendel ran, fear bubbling in his stomach as he approached Ibis. No, this…this couldn't be happening again. He couldn't lose him. Ibis's eyes, thankfully, peered open, causing a grateful smile to appear on his son's face as he made it to him. This mysterious attacker clearly had it out for him as well because the stab marks were again far more then necessary. "Father, what happened?"

"Amer." Ibis's voice was weakening, the light in his eyes growing dim. "There's a letter…in my chambers. For Callum."

"I'll get it to him." Wendel promised. Ibis nodded, and his gaze went to Queen Zubeia. She was bleeding from several places, most aggressively from a long, thick, red gash lining the side of her face and snout; the same side on which she bore the old scar from Sol Regem. Several of her horns were busted, a front paw was twisted in an unnatural way and both wings had been ripped. Despite his fear, the Skywing elf picked himself up and met the dragon's miserable gaze. "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I'll be quick."

Queen Zubeia wanted to tell him to not worry about her, to get someone up to the pinnacle to help Callum, but she didn't have the energy to say anything before he took off, no doubt heading toward the infirmary for herbs. She could only watch his retreating form, thanking her lucky stars that she'd had the foresight to get her children out of here before this happened.

Amer was hidden in the shadows and closely watched Ibis's son as he went scampering off to the infirmary. Even though Aaravos had made quick work of the Dragonguard, he had strangely insisted on leaving Queen Zubeia alive, to later question her about the whereabouts of her son. So long as the Dragon Prince lived, there would be a mark on their heads.

He clutched the knife, the blade dripping with a mixture of Ibis's and that Sunfire elf's blood. Having been his replacement on the guard, Amical symbolized the injustice done to him by that tyrant dragoness, and Ibis was the leader of the Dragonguard and had scolded him like a child many times. It felt great to have them helpless beneath him, as was their place, every stab of the knife being a thrill to Amer.

"Wendel?" A familiar voice made him jump. Callum's allies, his sister included for some reason, had arrived and were slowly creeping through the carnage. Amer could hear footsteps running up the stairs to the pinnacle, which he put out of his mind when his eyes found the son of Viren. He could feel himself slipping into his heat-being mode, the feeling of his blood boiling becoming indistinguishable from the rage-induced heat. If not for that man's father, none of this would be happening now, and for that, he and his sister would pay.

Amer clutched the knife in his hand, now wishing it was a sunforge blade that would cut right through that armor. A wide, sharp grin, alarmingly similar to Aaravos himself, grew on Amer's face as the group broke apart to check on the fallen guards or the injured queen. Amer's pray took Wendel's former place beside Ibis, checking in vain for a pulse or a heartbeat.

* * *

Callum shook himself awake at the shouting of his name. Rayla ran up to him, the Scepter of Shadows in hand. Callum took it, looking from it to the Scepter of Darkness, which was now sparking with spurts of power that was clearly too much for the glass ball.

"At last." Aaravos said in a husky whisper. His once sleek hair had become a luminous mane and his eyes were glowing with power. Callum could practically feel his hair standing on end as the elf turned to him. "And this time, my boy, you will not interfere."

"This time?" Callum asked, wondering what he meant in the half-second before Aaravos drew a rune and a blast of wind, blowing Callum and Rayla right off the edge of the pinnacle.

Between the storm giving Callum a boost to his powers and his mastery of the magic for years now, it was now child's play to summon his mage wings and swoop Rayla to safety. The real trouble was coming back, when Callum and Rayla beheld Aaravos propped up on a small, tight tower of swirling wind, only made visible by the occasional piece of debris sucked into the vortex. Before either could question why he'd go through such trouble rather then just summoning mage wings, they received the answer when he looked at them. He slowly held out the Scepter of Darkness, flipping it so that the stone faced downward, toward the Storm Spire. He let the staff go.

As the scepter dropped, time seemed to stop. Callum dove for it, flying as fast as he could, Rayla adjusting her grip on Callum's neck to free one of her hands. They both remembered what happened when a primal stone was shattered, and that was just from a simple sky primal stone. Neither could imagine what damage an overloaded stone could do with all six sources, including its original sun magic. They couldn't be sure that such power wouldn't wipe out everything on the planet.

Callum and Rayla sighed in relief when she caught the staff with her free hand, and Callum gently lowered them to the floor of the summit. They held one another for a few seconds before they looked around. Aaravos had disappeared, and thankfully the Scepter of Shadows had found the relative shelter of one of the stones that made up the walls. Rayla handed the corrupted staff off to Callum before she went to retrieve the Scepter of Shadows.

As Rayla came back with the scepter in hand, Callum held the staff away from and watched the flashes and small bursts of power with worry. "It's overwhelmed. It might burst if we don't do something."

Rayla looked at the Scepter of Shadows and looked over to the Scepter of Darkness. If the former Scepter of Radiance was able to accumulate all that power… "What if the magic can be split? It might not purify the staff, but it would take the pressure off." Callum nodded and gestured for her to hand him the Scepter of Shadows. She looked wary. "Are you sure you can do it?"

"No, but it's all we have to go on right now." Callum told her, and she reluctantly handed him the staff in his free hand. Rayla stood back as Callum straightened out his arms, holding the scepters parallel to each other. Worst case scenario, nothing would happen, but he had to try; he was connected to all six primal sources, he had better chance than anyone of doing this. He breathed in and spoke the transfer spell; "Da Imperium."

Rayla watched, heart pounding as something happened. Callum gave a yelp as his veins were set on fire, a thorny pricking sensation crawling along his arms. Reality seemed to fall away as he was consumed in power and agony. He had to somehow force himself to stay steady but could only manage it for seconds before he collapsed. The two staffs fell to the ground.

"Callum!" Rayla cried and caught him before he fell. She gently lowered him, her own terrified heartbeat almost drowning out his shallow breaths. She spared a moment to look at the scepters; the Scepter of Darkness was still black with corruption, but it was at last calm. The aura around the sphere had been reduced to yellow, green and light blue, while the Scepter of Shadows had gained an aura of white, dark blue and purple. Rayla smiled, running her hand through Callum's hair. That beautiful idiot did it.

* * *

"SOREN!" More than one voice echoed in the large cavern. Amer saw Soren drop, blood flowing from the soft spot on his head. Amaya immediately came charging at him, shield at the ready and seeing red. Behind Amer, Wendell also ran up to them, zipping passed them to Soren.

An enraged roar stopped everything. Even limping, Queen Zubeia was a formidable being and with her twisted paw sent Amer flying into a wall. Still in his heat-being mode, Amer was able to angle himself so that he could soften the blow and get to his feet. This turned out to be a useless stunt because the angry dragoness stood up and grabbed the elf in her jaws. When Amer sneered and brought out his dagger as if he'd outsmarted the queen, she shook him like a stubborn piece of pray that wouldn't die. The sharp jerks forced Amer to drop the bloodied weapon. She growled as she limped to the opening of the Storm Spire, unmindful of his struggling, and launched the elf from the cliff. Amer screamed, which quickly faded into nothing as he was lost to the wind of the storm.

The rain water felt good on Queen Zubeia's cuts, and it washed some of the blood away and the strikes of lightening seemed to restore her energy so that she was feeling better then she had in the shelter of her chambers. After taking a moment to look at Novus and Thunderfall in turn and take in the comfort of the storm as it died, the queen turned around to return to her dwelling.

* * *

Rayla knew something was happening, with a roar that seemed to come from the floor, growls and screams coming from the entrance to the chambers in the spire. Still, she stayed close to Callum, who's heart was still beating, he just needed to wake up. Thankfully, it wasn't a long wait after the growling had seized. The storm was beginning to die.

"What happened?" Callum asked, moving to free himself as though he'd been sleeping for hours.

"We did it." Rayla told him, gesturing toward the staffs that lay near them, neither crackling with power. "The transfer worked; the Scepter of Radiance is stable now." Callum smiled for the moment before Rayla carried on. "Something has happened with the queen; we need to get down there."

Callum nodded, taking the Scepter of Darkness in hand, and stood up, energized by the remnants of the storm. The pair descended the stairs without another word, neither prepared for what awaited them.

* * *

The next few minutes were a painful blur. Amer was in league with Aaravos and had hurt Queen Zubeia and…it was like a bad dream. Now they were back in the house, huddled together. Amaya and Gren were explaining what happened to Ezran and Zephyr. Callum couldn't believe he'd never see Ibis or Soren again. Wendel had stayed behind at the spire to heal Queen Zubeia, and to Callum he had given…not another letter. Callum left it alone, not having the energy for it.

"Callum?" Rayla's voice was soft and sad. She didn't have the history with either Soren or Ibis that he did, but she had still loved them as he had. Her words were staggered as though speaking was painful. "Someone…someone needs to tell her."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I know, I'm so unbelievably cruel. Soren was so excited to be a father and I had to rip it away! I always knew more than one person we love was going to die in this chapter. I knew from the start one would be Ibis, and for a while, I toyed with the other being Queen Zubeia, but after the Dragon King's death and everything that's already happened to Kimaare, I didn't have the heart to take away their mother; she's only out of commission for a while, but she'll be okay. I will say this, however: Soren's death is not without its consequences, as it will finally solidify a new ally for Team Zym, and about time, too. Sorry, too, if this feels rushed, especially the start. Da Imperium is Latin for 'give power'. Review.


	45. Requiem Beneath The Birch Tree

**Chapter Forty-five: Requiem Beneath The Birch Tree**

It wasn't even noon yet, and Claudia's life was already plummeting to lower and lower depths. She supposed she should have been used to that by now, but this? Her throat was raw and the tears came against her will. She'd screamed at Ezran and the Moonshadow elf until they left, or rather were escorted out by some counsel member in the interest of their own safety once she started advancing on them as if she wasn't caged off from them. They were liars. Soren wasn't…he couldn't be…

"Claudia?" Claudia's heart nearly stopped. Now she knew this must have been a dream. An awful, awful dream.

"Wake up." She whispered hoarsely to herself. Nothing happened. Panic mounting, she demanded of herself; "Come on, wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

"Claudia, please." The unwelcome and all too familiar voice pleaded with her. "Look at me."

Her shoulders slumping in defeat, she turned around, her pale, tear-stained face beholding a hated figure. The blond hair, the blue eyes – _his_ blue eyes – the stance and attire that spoke of good social standing. It was plain to see that the older woman had been crying as well. Claudia's nose wrinkled in disgust; how dare she show her face now?

"What are you doing here?" Claudia snarled harshly, and the pain in Clover's eyes grew.

"Ezran told me what happened." Clover said. Claudia watched, not letting her mother see the confusion. Ezran had gone to Del Bar and back? Exactly how long had it been? To her it seemed like only moments ago that she received the news – lie, she corrected herself – but she didn't really have the best sense of time in here. "I had to come. To say goodbye to my firstborn." For a moment, Clover's eyes brightened with love and she gave a soft smile. "And to see my beautiful daughter again."

"Don't pretend to care!" Claudia demanded, doing what she could to raise her hoarse voice. "You left us. You destroyed our family."

"I know." Clover told her, and Claudia looked shocked by this ready confession. She had expected some sorry excuse or even another lie about how things weren't perfect. Well, they were never perfect even when the family was whole, but did she really have to leave? Clover sighed heavily. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have given you the choice, I should have just taken you both with me to Dal Bar. Maybe then, none of this would be happening to us." Clover felt a new wave of tears build up as she took in Claudia's ragged appearance, the ghostly white skin, the darkness under her eyes which were themselves filled with pain. The most obvious part of thing was the whitened half of her hair, which Clover had seen on dark mages before and so she knew exactly what it meant. Her voice became strangled in a cry, a fresh batch of tears welling up with grief, now for her elder daughter. "Look what he's done to you."

Outrage flooded every inch of Claudia's body. Was she seriously blaming Viren – the good parent who actually loved her – for all of this? Before she could retaliate, Clover turned away, the tears falling once more, and started to leave before she paused and continued to talk. "I've spoken with Opeli. They're…they're burying him outside the village in an hour. I'm sure it would mean the world to him if you attended. I love you, Claudia."

Clover broke into a run as if she could no longer bare to be there. Claudia roughly wiped her tears away, a whole host of new, horrible emotions now joining her grief for Soren.

* * *

The letter itself was bad enough without ripping open the memories of his stepfather's letter. Callum knew that this letter, rolled up in a bind rather then a wax seal, was destined to join King Harrow's letter, which was tucked safely away in his room where no prying eyes would find it. Callum had fiddled with and undone to bind already, but he was stalling actually opening the letter for much the same reason; Ibis had been his first mentor, he'd taught him so much in their year of training. He was a careful listener, an attentive friend and a fiercely devoted guard.

If Callum had known that a simple look was all that was needed, he would have done it sooner. He looked from the letter to the couch across from him, where Wendel and Zephyr sat. Well, where Wendel sat and Zephyr laid. She was holding on to her brother for dear life, as if the slightest wrong move would take him away, too. Her eyes remained closed, but tears were still flowing like two tiny streams. Callum didn't want to imagine it; losing her father and the love of her life all in one foul swoop. Wendel took it in stride, choosing to be strong for Zephyr's sake, but his wide, hollow eyes gave him away; he was every bit as broken as his sister. Neither of them had spoken a word since it happened.

Callum took a deep breath and pulled himself together. What right did he have to break down like this? Ibis hadn't been his father, he could grieve later, when the world wasn't at stake. Right now, Callum had to get cleaned up for the funeral. Since time was of the essence, there would be no three-day reprieve, fancy dressing up or forced speeches, just a solemn burial of Soren and Ibis. The rest of the fallen guard were on their ways home, so that they might each be properly mourned by friends and family and laid to rest in their homelands. Such was tradition for fallen Dragonguard, unless said guard requested otherwise. Ibis had requested to be buried here, where his youngest lived and would be raising her children. In fact, for the first time in centuries, the Storm Spire was completely deserted, with Queen Zubeia having fled the spire on the insistence of Callum and the others, to keep herself safe for the time being. Callum undid the bind, surprised to find two slips of paper rather then the one. This seemed to get Wendel and Zephyr's attention as well.

_Callum,_

_If you're reading this, I'm gone. I can only hope that you've defeated Aaravos and that Prince Azymondias and Princess Kimaare have remained safe. Callum, in my two-hundred and sixty-three years, no one could have imagined a human somehow finding a way to do magic. Even years after the fact, the knowledge that I was privileged enough to see it, let alone teach him, is incredible to me, and for this I thank you. I don't know how you managed to do it, but hopefully you will discover how it is possible and go on to teach other humans your craft. _

_Callum, I'm not looking to displace King Harrow or your late father by saying this, but I'd be lying if I said I don't love you like a second son. I apologize for subjecting you to this for a third time in your life. _

Callum felt a rush of affection for his former mentor crash over him like a strong wave. He wished there was a way to talk to Ibis again, if only because his presence was a familiar and comforting one. He honestly returned the feeling, with how, together with Zephyr, Wendel and his family, the family as a whole seemed so happy to basically adopt him and Ezran as their own soon after meeting them. Well, that was what Callum felt, even though none of them spoke of it.

_On the second page, you will find a rune along with the information needed to use it. _

Callum took a moment to shuffle the second letter to the front. He beheld a rune drawn in a style he was unfamiliar with; it looked a lot like the star symbol itself, something Callum had never seen before. It was more like a constellation than the wispy strokes of sky magic, the sturdiness of earth runes or the flame-like runes of sun magic. Beneath the trigger word, there were instructions to paint the rune over one's heart and the information of the extra something that was needed for this, a high-level spell. The caster needed to want the revival with their whole heart and to believe that it was possible. Callum returned to the front letter.

_It is a bit of star magic gifted to me by Kaiya, who's daughter, Bianca, is a star mage. Once everything is settled, seek her out. Kaiya has spoken to her about you and she would be honored to teach you. The spell is the counterpart to the dark magic spell that was likely what allowed Viren to come back to the world of the living. It was further corrupted by dark magic by being forcibly prolonged; this spell is only meant to revive the dead for a few moments, just long enough to say goodbye. _

Callum's eyes widened and he had to reread this portion of the letter a few times to fully absorb everything.

_There are a few conditions that apply as well. First of all, I regret to inform your that this spell is only possible on the freshly deceased; you will not be able to speak with your parents using it. Second, it is not advisable to revive someone who has died in pain. You would only be returning them to the pain of their injury. _

Something in Callum deflated with disappointment. Without realizing it, he'd been excited to see his parents again, to tell Soren not to worry - they'll all be here to help Zephyr take care of his baby - to finally be able to tell a father figure of his goodbye. But Soren had been stabbed in the back of the head and Ibis had been half butchered to death. No, he couldn't. No matter how much he wanted to see them again, he couldn't put them in that kind of pain just to say goodbye.

_Finally, it is only possible to perform this spell once on a given subject, so the time must be used wisely. _

_Despite all of this, I must request that you not revive me. I have lived a full life, short for my kind but long for yours, and yet I feel as though I've accomplished more than most men just by having met and taught you. My children know what has happened to me, as you must have known, I'm sure. It is all I can ask for to have died serving the Dragon Queen. My only regret is that I'll never see my second grandchild be born. Soren is a fine man, and I know he will raise a fine young half-elf. _

A pang of sorrow pierced Callum's heart. Soren would never be able to raise his child now. And Ibis. Callum couldn't hide his disappointment in how he didn't want to be revived anyway, and if that was the case, why even give him this spell? As one last gift? But Callum realized that it was probably impossible now, anyway; Ibis and Soren were already being prepared for burial.

_Until next we meet,_

_Ibis of the Skywing Elves_

Callum's eyes were blurry. The first letter fell to the floor as he stood up abruptly and rushed up the stairs, the second piece of paper clutched in his hand. This got Zephyr and Wendel's attention, as well as that of Amaya who stood in the doorway, having been halfway through entering the room when her nephew suddenly sprang to life.

* * *

At the same moment, his eyes shot wide open and he let out a gasp as air flooded his lungs, with a jerk so violent that it caused his whole body to give a sharp flinch. He was…alive? But that fall. No creature could hope to survive a fall like that.

"Very good." He was too confused to even be scared, although a brief shiver did overtake him at the abruptness of the statement. It was Aaravos, who's eyes were completely black in the fashion of dark mages. When the blackness let up, though, there was only pure light in place of the malicious eyes he hated.

"But I…I fell." he said, remembering and now looking himself over. His armor and weapons were gone, his midsection bore large patches from where Queen Zubeia's teeth had punctured his skin, which looked like they'd been sealed off and healed badly. In fact, his whole body was covered in scars, cuts and bruises.

"It's been done before." Aaravos told him. "Of course, you may want to get the job done quickly, or else develop a taste for snuffing out the lives of lesser magical creatures, before the decay sets in."

"Job?" the former prince asked. "Wait, decay?"

"Viren's line." Aaravos reminded. "The son may be gone, but Claudia lives. And you laid claim to both of their lives, did you not?"

Aaravos was pleased to see the rage returning to his eyes. He would have his hands full with a certain archmage in training, he couldn't bother himself with Claudia who would no doubt be seeking vengeance for her fallen kin. His plan was simply to wait until one had ended the other, then to finish the victor, assuming there was to be one, off while they were still tired, ensuring that there would be no trouble down the road. He knew from experience that Claudia was a wild card and he'd need his full attention on the human mage.

"I'll kill her." the younger elf promised, his voice overflowing with venom. "Then that line will be gone for good."

Aaravos couldn't help but smile in amusement at what he alone knew. Viren's son had sired an unborn offspring, not that that really meant much. Like he had once assessed with the young star dragon, an infant wasn't an invisible being. His newly revived friend needn't bother with that, the mother would be facing him as soon as Callum and Claudia were out of the way. "Welcome back, Amer."

* * *

Callum stared at himself in the mirror in his room. He'd almost forgotten about the scar. Would the rune still work when a decent part of it was over a scar? It had to work, Callum had decided as he replaced his shirt. If it didn't…well, what else was new, he thought morosely. A whining noise caught his attention; Kimaare was looking up at him sadly. Callum put on a brave face as he picked up the small dragon, carried her to his bed and sat down to pet her. She purred.

"Callum?" Callum looked to the doorway to see Rayla coming over to him. She was freshly washed, and her hair had been brushed so thoroughly, it looked almost glossy. The red-rimmed eyes that spoke of tears shed couldn't be groomed away, though. She sat next to Callum, took his hand and leaned on him.

"Service is starting in a few minutes. I think everyone's ready." She said, quietly.

Callum didn't respond right away, but he looked at their intertwined fingers. It seemed to give him courage for something that had been in the back of his mind as a vague desire, but this…somehow it solidified that desire, made it more real. With one look at his sketchbook, sitting faithfully on his bedside table, Callum knew what he wanted.

"Rayla," he started, "about Mira." He paused to gauge her reaction. Interest flashed in her eyes; what was this about? "Do you…do you really want to give her up?"

"Of course not, I love that kid." Rayla told him, and he knew it was true. This plucked up his courage, his mind filling with images of the other night; the picture, the sleeping child, the loving kiss.

"So do I." he told her and cleared his throat. He needed to get this right. "So, I was thinking…what if we keep her?" Rayla's face was blank, but her eyes grew and shone. "I know we're young, but she could have a good life here we us." Callum gave a swallow, forcing the next word out. "Together."

Callum's emphasis on the word together was furthered by his taking her hand already clasped in his own and covering it with his remaining hand in an almost pleading gesture. "I know this isn't the time for it, but what if is all the time we –"

Callum was cut off and found himself on his back with Rayla kissing him fiercely. She smiled as they broke apart. "Yes, Callum. I'd love that."

"I love you." Callum replied, his eyes shining as he looked up at her. They laughed as they continued to kiss and stroke each other.

"Having fun, you two?" The sudden question made them jump. Janai smirked as though she'd caught a pair of much younger children in the middle of causing trouble. Rayla slowly climbed off of Callum, who gave his aunt's significant other a meek smile as he stood up. Janai didn't give them a chance to explain, just gestured for them to follow. The swell of happiness in their hearts vaporized instantly as reality came crashing down on them; it was time.

* * *

Claudia had chosen to come. Also here were Clover, Opeli, Callum, Ezran, the general and commander, the Moonshadow elf, her parents, the Sunfire Queen, Soren's Skywing elf, and a second Skywing elf who Claudia had never seen before. Callum and his elf were standing close together, and holding the elf's hand was the little Earthblood elf who still looked afraid of Claudia. Just as well, Claudia told herself, she was just some brat.

Claudia was closely guarded by two of Amaya's men on either side of her, but she hardly cared about that. She just kept her eyes on one of the two simple wooden coffins being lowered; the one that had only two feathers – one brown and one gray – sitting on it, as opposed to the other which bore the same with the addition of a third, darker feather. Ibis had already been lowered, and Soren was still in the process. Claudia kept her eyes squarely on the coffin; she was here for him, not for Clover, not for Callum or Ezran, not for anybody else, so she told herself.

Zephyr and Wendel had picked a lovely spot, at the edge of the woods, beneath a birch tree. There was nothing special to either Ibis or Soren about birch trees, but they were a symbol of longevity and rebirth, as the white bark and slim branches gave these trees a kind of year-round beauty. There was an old superstition among the elves as well, that burying the dead under a birch tree would ensure peace in the afterlife, something that Zephyr especially wished for.

"What a touching display of grief." A deep, cold voice sent ice through everyone's vanes. Everyone backed away, clearing a path to the new voice's owner, with Callum, Rayla, Amaya and Janai moving protectively in front of the younger attendants. It was Aaravos, along with…

"Amer?" Janai questioned, her eyes wide. "But you're dead."

"I won't die until I've wiped out every trace of that Viren from the face of the planet." Amer declared, looking at Soren's coffin with satisfaction before locking eyes with Claudia. In an instant, she knew it had been Amer who killed Soren, which was only confirmed by his next words: "One down, one to go."

"Don't be afraid, Aarush." Aaravos said, looking at Callum. The two eyes filled with light almost made the younger mage long for the cunning, dangerous, but at least readable eyes he was used to from Aaravos. "I've no reason to hurt you. Provided, of course, that you follow these simple orders."

"And what orders are those?" Callum asked.

"Meet me at the pinnacle of the Storm Spire at high noon today and bring dear Claudia with you. Amer is rather insistent on it." The Startouch elf said. "Our little confrontation will take place before the day is over. If you refuse, or if anyone else gets any ideas, the Storm Spire and your village will be the first of many to parish." Aaravos didn't wait for a response, but a flash of sudden light blinded everyone present. When the light dimmed, Aaravos and Amer were gone.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Admit it, you guys thought I didn't listen when I asked if Claudia should be redeemed, and the overwhelming majority was 'yes, but not without being punished'. I listened, we were just going through the punishment part. As Don Bluth put it, "Every story needs a happy ending. Until then, feel free to put your characters through absolute hell." Bianca is an Italian girl's name that can mean 'White', 'Bright', or 'Shining'. Also, that was quite the bold move on Callum's part to propose just before a funeral. Poor kids are going to have whiplash by the end of this day. Up next…the final battle. Review.


	46. Look To The Stars Part I

**Chapter Forty-six: Look To The Stars Part I**

The day was still cold and damp as it neared noon, and it seemed likely that it would end with another storm or at least rainfall. Clover stood beside Claudia at the foot of the Storm Spire, feeling empty at the way she refused to even look at her. There was a good chance she wouldn't survive the day, and she still refused to talk to her. She just stood and waited quietly until it was time to depart. At the very least, Claudia had been given a simple dagger for her battle with Amer rather than be left totally helpless; even in such dire times, her dark magic was an unwelcome element. Strangely, where she would have defended the art before, there was nothing but a simple nod of acceptance. Soren's death had broken something in his sister. She no longer cared about magic or survival, now all she lived for was revenge.

It was Clover, Ezran, Rayla, Amaya, Gren, a little elf girl named Mira, and the two small dragons seeing Callum and Claudia off. It hurt to see Callum, in contrast to her daughter, openly accepting hugs and words of encouragement from his family. The little star dragon's scales shimmered like stars when he scratched under her chin before handing her off to his aunt. At the moment, he seemed to be lost in the elf girl as they kissed deeply.

As the two broke apart, Rayla brought her hand up to Callum's face and stroked his cheek with her thumb. In a way, Callum was glad that it would only be himself and Claudia going to the top of the Storm Spire. It was all the excuse he needed to keep the others down here where they would be safe. Well, safer than they'd be helping him against Aaravos.

"Callum, I don't care what Aaravos says," Rayla told him, her eyes shining with determination. "if you're not back by nightfall, I'm going up to look for you."

Callum sighed. Lain was right; Rayla was stubborn, and honestly, he couldn't imagine it any other way. He was about to give her a reply before a small figure latched itself tightly onto his leg. Mira was giving him a look of defiance as if daring him to leave. Callum and Rayla looked at each other; neither had told Mira, or anyone else, about either of the decisions they had made alone less than an hour ago. It seemed almost unfair to tell them such news now. All the same, Callum knelt down so that he was on Mira's level and held her gently by the shoulders.

"Mira, I can't lie; I don't think I can promise I'll be back." Mira scowled in disapproval and shook her head so violently that it was a wonder she didn't get dizzy. "The man I'm going to fight is very powerful, he's been a full archmage for who knows how long. I'll try to come back, I just…can't promise anything." Panic spiked in Callum when he saw Mira's still scowling eyes starting to water. Thinking quickly, he removed the scarf from around his neck, revealing the beginning of his scar. He held the fabric gently as he offered it to her. "Here. This scarf was a gift to my mother from my father after they got engaged, and my mother gave it to me when I was little. It's all I have left of them. It's very important to me and I don't want anything to happen to it. Can you take care of it for me? That way even if I don't come back, I'll at least know it's in good hands."

Mira studied the scarf for a moment before taking it and clumsily attempting to put it on; Callum chuckled as he helped her fasten it loosely around her neck. Mira looked down at the oversized scarf now around her neck, then back at Callum before she tackled him in a still tight hug. Returning the gesture, Callum found himself thinking of his last direct interaction with his stepfather. Now on the other end, he found himself wondering what would happen to Mira if he didn't return. Obviously, she had Rayla, Aunt Amaya and Ezran to take care of her, but she was so much younger than even Ezran had been at the time and had already lost so much. By the way she still refused to speak, it was possible she hadn't even gotten over her parents' deaths, what would this do to her?

No, Callum couldn't think about that; he had a job to do. A Startouch elven archmage to fight. His hands suddenly feeling heavy as stones, he gently removed her hands from around his neck, lifted her up and passed her off to Rayla, who carefully took her. He needed to go soon. "Just…be good for Rayla and Aunt Amaya, okay?"

As Callum turned to Ezran, it was clear the older brother wasn't the only one having flashbacks of the helplessness of childhood. Callum almost didn't want to put the responsibility, even hypothetically, on Ezran's shoulders of their family or anything else at the tender age of thirteen, immediately in the wake of such a big loss. Callum chose not to verbalize this, in fact he wanted to point out that this was the reason Ezran had abandoned his kingship and that Amaya would be the one taking care of things until he was old enough. He wanted to, but Ezran wasn't so naïve; he knew that if Callum didn't return, his aunt would be all he had left in terms of blood family. After all, it had already happened once.

Still, Ezran hugged Callum with everything he had. He didn't cry, there wasn't time for it, and he knew it. "Take care of them." Callum said, and Ezran nodded as they pulled apart. He looked up, seeing that the sun was climbing higher in the sky, visible even through the blanket of thick clouds. Callum inhaled deeply, gave Claudia a 'let's go' gesture, and started up the mountain. Claudia, not skipping a beat or making a sound, followed. The group stood watching Callum and Claudia climbing until the pair made it up to a curve in the spire and were gone. Once they could no longer be seen, the group of well-wishers moved to return to the house; there was no use waiting here.

* * *

Callum was glad he had made the decision to forgo his wings for this trip, leaving him open to not just jump into whatever he needed to do at a moment's notice, which would no doubt be needed, but also a few more moments to himself. Back home, he had a lover, a semi-adopted child, a younger brother and an aunt to protect. Beyond that, Queen Zubeia, Zym and Kimaare, possibly all of Xadia. Callum had no idea what, if anything, would befall the humans in the four kingdoms. He supposed with Aaravos's fondness of humans, the ruins of Xadia would be left for them to rule, trampling on the bones of elves, dragons and, in the case of this one patch of land that Novus sat on, their fellow humans. As a child, he hadn't known what to think of Xadia or it's inhabitance, and now he strived to protect it. Protect his home and family.

Claudia's thinking wasn't so liberated. Her eyes, mind and broken heart were set only on Amer. Amer, that filthy elf, would pay for what he'd done. He'd taken her last true family, her brother, from her. True, down there were both her mother and that brother's unborn child, but she'd spent years separating the woman down there from the word 'mother', and the child was an unnatural and unlovable thing, she'd decided. She would rather not come down from the spire at all then allow that murderer to continue breathing.

The only break in their silent journey up the Storm Spire was a pause when the air was becoming thinner, causing Callum to stop and cast the breathing spell on Claudia. After this and a brief explanation of what the spell did, they got going again.

* * *

Ezran ignored the knock at first. It scared him to think that he might lose his brother again. He'd already been through that before, and this time there wouldn't be much room for error. Zym's presence in his room, sitting on his bed with him, was a small comfort to him, even if he couldn't shake the images of the coffins from less than an hour ago away. Ibis had mostly been Callum's friend, with Ezran being closer to his daughter and grandson, but Soren had practically been another brother to him in these last years, protecting him even after he no longer needed to. It was going to feel weird as it was, not having him around all the time. If he lost Callum as well…

"Ezran?" Ezran's heart lept into his throat. He turned toward the door to see Ellis, this time without Ava.

"Hey." He said, seeming far calmer than he felt as she walked over to his bed and sat on the other side of Zym, who was happy to greet her with a request to be petted. Ellis smiled as she obliged.

"Hi, Zym." She gave him a few strokes before her face turned solemn and she turned back to Ezran. "You okay?"

"No." he confessed. "I was so happy when we found him alive months ago. If he doesn't come back this time…" Ezran trailed off, silently returning to the window.

"I'm worried, too." She told him, her voice sweet and filled with sympathy. This started up the now familiar mixture of fondness for this girl and jealousy toward his brother, who she seemed to prefer to him. The irritation this arose in him immediately gave way to guilt and fear, all of which together earned him a worried look for her.

"What's up?" Ellis asked, expecting Ezran to confide in her something about how his brother was marching off to his death or how after Soren's funeral that, together with Callum's suicidal departure, left him to take care of the remains of their family. What she wasn't expecting was the calm, almost quiet question.

"You like him, don't you?" Ezran was silent after this question, waiting and still looking back out the window to the Storm Spire miles away outside. Ellis blushed, somehow finding this completely mortifying. She knew it wouldn't happen even without the age difference; as the other girls said, he was far too smitten with Rayla to so much as look at another woman. She sighed, knowing this wouldn't end until she spoke, she was just thankful Ezran had always been so easy to talk to.

"Yeah." she said. "But I know nothing's going to happen. He's too old for me and besides, he's in love with Rayla. Honestly, I'm happy for them, but also…sad? Does that make sense?"

"I think it does." He told her, an uncomfortable pang stabbing his heart at her hurt tone. Finally, he tore his gaze away from the window to look at her, and immediately found himself trying not to get lost in those big brown eyes. He swallowed his discomfort and plucked up his courage. "Ellis, can you keep talking? With everything that's happened just today, I…I kind of need the distraction right now."

His heart gave a funny lurch at the understanding smile she gave him. "Sure."

"Great!" he said with a little too much enthusiasm, complete with his voice breaking on the one word. Oh, he prayed to whatever deity would make it so that this awkward phase was temporary. Clearing his throat, he asked: "So, how have things been with you?"

* * *

Downstairs, Rayla was restless. She would occasionally leave the window, to which she was otherwise practically glued, but these were just small intermissions of sitting down, pacing around or looking around for something. It got to be annoying before too long.

For Amaya, this was an easy thing to brush off, because she wasn't subjected to the constant nervous footsteps or aggravated sighs, though no one else would be spared. Finally, Janai had had enough and intercepted the younger elf.

"Rayla, you need to calm down." She demanded, grabbing Rayla by the shoulder and stopping her in her tracks mid-pace. "Working yourself up like this won't make him come back any faster."

"I just –" Rayla started, cutting herself off. "I can't stand being this helpless, I need to do something."

Janai sighed and looked away, her eyes falling on the two scepters of the sun and moon. In all the commotion of the morning, they had been forgotten to stand propped up against a wall. For the first time, Janai looked closely at them, taking in the auras around the two stones.

"Maybe we can." She said before she turned back to Rayla. "You said before you know a moon mage?"

* * *

Neither Callum nor Claudia were surprised to see the two elves waiting for them when they at last made it to the pinnacle. The sun, now visible from above the clouds, was directly overhead, offering warmth that hadn't been present to the world below all day.

There was no stare down, no talking, no subtle rituals of battle, just a spring into action. Amer and Claudia charged at each other with daggers in hand. The sight of Amer's dagger, still red with her brother's blood, infuriated Claudia all the more and pushed her to give her all into this fight, battling with a reckless abandon she had never known before.

The sound of blades clashing rang in the ears of all four as Callum saw Aaravos draw a sun rune that he recognized. He just lept out of the way of the fiery blaze that threatened to burn him. Callum cursed his own inability to perform non-verbal spells and why he hadn't thought of it before as Aaravos lept from the pinnacle to dodge a Fulminus blast. Callum wasn't fooled and resisted the urge to summon his own mage wings when Aaravos shot up with the quickness of a dart, flying on pure white wings. Those wings then disintegrated with a speed Callum had never seen before, with the elf now supported on another vortex of wind, this one getting wisps of gray cloud caught in it.

* * *

Back in Novus, Amaya, Gren, Janai and the others were only a few of the many who were looking out their windows to the clouds above, hiding the peak of the Storm Spire. The clouds were now circling in a way that typically meant a serious storm was brewing, and indeed the motion seemed to trigger bursts of thunder and lightning.

"What a time to have sent Rayla out to find that moon mage of hers." Gren told Janai, translating for Amaya. He switched to none-verbal translation with the Queen's reply.

"All we can do is hope that she's far enough away from the storm to escape it." Janai said. "Hopefully, this will be over before she returns."

The two took a moment to look at each other before taking one another's hands and holding them securely. It was one of those days when both women needed assurance, strong as they were, and, as often, they found it in each other.

* * *

Back at the pinnacle, the knife fight raged on, having escalated to slashes and stabs. Both blades were nearly soaked in blood and their wielders were now each riddled with gashes and cuts, with chunks of clothes and hair sliced. This went ignored by the mages, who's eyes were locked onto each other. When Callum sent a second Fulminus blast his way, Aaravos dodged like it was nothing.

"Daring today, aren't we, Aarush?" Aaravos asked, grinning.

"Why do you keep calling me Aarush?" Callum asked, narrowing his eyes. "It's Callum."

The elf's smile dropped and for a moment, a look of drowsy confusion came over his face as though he'd awoken from a deep sleep and was still half-dreaming. Callum didn't have much time to contemplate this, though, because this dream-like trance was suddenly replaced with a fury that the boy had never seen before. Before Callum could do more than wonder why, a jolt of pain seemed to race through him, overtaking his mind. His world became one of pain as he screamed.

* * *

Kimaare sat up, giving a startled yelp and looking alert. A brief jolt of pain pulsed through her body and she suddenly saw the pinnacle, where two separate battles were underway. A knife fight between the human lady from the big water and the Sunfire elf she'd seen only a few times, but what really got her attention was Callum laying on the ground and breathing heavily.

Somehow, she knew that he was losing consciousness. She didn't even have time to be scared of the Startouch elf approaching him. She could only watch, her little heart pounding in terror, as the elf calmly bent down, picked Callum up with one hand and drew a rune with the other. It was afternoon now, so the shadows were lengthening. Kimaare was both amazed and horrified when Aaravos carried Callum into the shadow of one of the stones that lined the edge of the plateau. They vanished.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** As you've probably gathered from the title of the chapter, there's a part two coming up, and maybe a part three depending on how things go. In other news, I created a TV Tropes page for the story, mostly to ensure that my hard work doesn't fall into obscurity with the end closing in. Go check it out and add to the page because I forgot it existed after chapter twenty and can't figure out the indexes to save my life. C'est la vie, I guess. Review.


	47. Look To The Stars Part II

** Chapter Forty-seven: Look To The Stars Part II**

Callum found himself standing in a white mist, with a familiar feeling of calm washing over him. The last thing he remembered was that he was in battle with Aaravos, was hit by something or other, and then there was this place. Another near-death experience? That couldn't be right; the last time this had happened, he'd had his parents to meet him, and here there was no one.

"Hello?" Callum called, for a moment only being greeted his own echo. This echo ended in a peculiar utterance; a last 'hello' spoken in his own voice, but this one held a lower tone, offered a direction, and was louder and more solid. Puzzled, Callum looked to where the voice was coming from. He beheld himself, once again clad in a fine robe, though now with the addition of his hair standing on end the way Aaravos' now did and there was a strange glow to his eyes. His irises were still present, but the whites shown with energy and power. Callum felt like he'd be sick as the vision gave him a sly smirk so similar to that of Aaravos, it was almost offensive.

"Who are you?" Callum asked as if the answer wasn't plainly obvious even to himself, narrowing his eyes in suspicion, and remembering the dark mage that had borrowed his image years ago. This didn't quite feel the same, though.

"I'm you." Came the most predictable reply. Being so predictable, the vision elaborated. "The one you're thinking of now, back when you made the choice between darkness and primal. He was a real possibility at the time, and if you could have turned into him then, you can absolutely turn into me now. Not that that would be a bad thing, of course. In fact, it would only be natural."

_Be warned, Callum, archmages have gone crazy with the immense power of all arcanums. Altogether, it is every bit as seductive and easily corruptible as dark magic. Rare as archmages are, rarer still is the archmage that manages to hold onto themselves._

The words came back to Callum, hitting him like a wave. He clenched his hands tightly. Though this vision had not said or done anything to make his intentions obvious, it was clear by his dark stare and the way he held himself and spoke, uppity and self-important, that this was another version of himself that Callum would be loath to meet in life. "No. I'll never turn into you!"

"Deep inside, you know how powerful you really are." The archmage told him, that sickening grin back and making Callum's stomach turn. "Don't you remember our years in the palace of Katolis? The taunting? The whispers? They called you the step-prince; an imposter who shamelessly wore a title he was not born into."

Callum hated the affect this speech was having on him, not wanting to admit that the vision spoke the truth. Soren hadn't been the only one who looked down on him as a child; guards, servants, delegates and other officials had always disregarded him, as though he had no place in the royal family. The warmth and respect that shone in their eyes when addressing the king or his heir would be snuffed out like a candle once they looked at him. He recalled the whispers he regularly overheard as a small child, which had only gotten worse after his mother died, and not only from Soren or Viren; the late queen's mongrel child, the step-prince, the king's charity case. He'd put on a brave face to avoid getting any of them in trouble with King Harrow – who would no doubt have been livid to hear of such things – but in truth he learned quickly to keep his head down, stay quiet and not to make a scene. Back then, the only warmth Callum received was from their little family of four, plus Claudia and maybe Soren if he was in a good mood. He'd always felt so small and unwelcome for what he wasn't, so unlike now, when he was powerful and loved for what he was.

Once Callum thought of his power, the vision's grin grew, and his eyes narrowed. "Now that you have this power, those pathetic fools are falling at your feet in worship. Make them pay for what they've done, how fickle and shallow they are. And in the process, show the rest of the world what happens to those who wrong you."

"They're innocent." Callum said, hating how he had nothing more to say about it, not able to put into words any solid reason to spare them outside of common compassion; something he doubted this version of him was still able to comprehend. He could have used Soren as an example, who claimed to have been humbled by some severe accident in his past, after which he'd immediately dropped the bullying behavior and the two had quickly become the close friends that Callum had always told himself they were in spite of his behavior. Also, into his mind, came the words Queen Zubeia had spoken on the night of Katolis's destruction, about vengeance feeling empty and not really changing anything other than just prolonging the suffering. He chose not to, though; it probably wouldn't work, either. "I…You can't do that."

"You can do anything you want." the archmage said, "The Dragon Queen is injured, and the Prince and Princess are still young and weak. With Aaravos gone, you'll be able to wipe out the dragons yourself, leaving you as the single most powerful being in the world. And all you have to do is get rid of anyone who stands in your way."

Callum was horrified at the flash in his counterpart's eyes which shone with a kind of perverted pleasure. Still, he stood tall and forced himself to keep eye contact. He spoke slowly and surely. "I am _never_ going to become you."

The vision sneered. "You think it would be that easy, you sentimental fool? You can't destroy me, I'm everything you want to be; who you know you can become. You can banish me this one time, but that won't mean anything, and you know it. I'll always be there. Lurking in your darkest thoughts, your nightmares, another one of your little flare ups. All it would take is a single slip up, one momentary loss of self-control, and I could come out to play."

Callum closed his eyes, his fists now shaking. His mind went to his loved ones back home; the sorrow and betrayal they must have felt before this version of him…'got rid' of them. He could practically see Rayla and his aunt with tears in their eyes, trying to fight him, Ezran's look of disbelief, Mira's tears, Queen Zubeia's rage as she realized she had defended the enemy and that Sol Regem had been right about humans all along.

Anger gave way to determination, and he told himself those things would never come to pass because he wouldn't allow it. "No, you won't! You are not real. I swear, I'll make sure of it; you will never exist!" This statement, which had somehow crawled to a shout without Callum realizing it, echoed once more and was again met with nothing but silence. After some seconds, Callum opened his eyes to see that the archmage was gone.

* * *

As Rayla made it back to the house, leading Lujanne and Kiara inside to get out of the rain, they were greeted with fearful whines and the sight of Kimaare going berserk. She was trying to fly towards the open door, franticly flapping her wings and only being held in place by Amaya, who seemed to be struggling between a need to be stern and her personal wish to comfort the baby dragon. Everyone was watching Kimaare worriedly, but Zym looked especially pained.

"Slow down, slow down!" Ezran urged, clearly trying to keep himself calm, trying to hear what Kimaare was saying and not having much luck with her in such a frantic state. This scene was all Rayla needed to know to shut the door quickly, shutting out the rainy weather as well as trapping Kimaare inside.

"What's happening?" Kiara asked, as Lujanne was looking in wonder at the star dragon. Kiara had told them about her before, but actually seeing it was something else entirely.

"I-I don't know, she won't calm down!" Ezran said, this being the only acknowledgement he gave of the three Moonshadow elves' arrival. Ezran focused, listening until he picked out the words. "Callum. Elf. Shadow. Disappear."

"It must have been the shadow travel spell." Rayla pieced together, to the horror of everyone. "Does she know where they went?"

Ezran continued to listen, and to his and Amaya's relief, Kimaare stopped struggling as she realized that something was now happening, something that might help. She began giving Ezran quivering whines that were nonetheless easier to understand than before. "Okay, let's try this again." Ezran told her and gave her a pet to further sooth her, not seeming any happier aside from the relief.

Rayla, Kiara, Ezran, Zym, Ellis and Mira where gathered around the star dragonling, who was still being held by Amaya. Lujanne decided things were basically handled here, so she turned to Janai, who held the two scepters in hand.

"Queen Janai of the Sunfire elves." The old mage said, "Rayla said I was needed here?" Janai nodded.

"Yes." she said, holding out the Scepter of Shadows to Lujanne, who took it, looking at it with wonder in regard to the strange colors surrounding the stone. "Callum used the Scepter of Shadows to relieve the Scepter of Radiance of some of the magic it bore, which might have otherwise destroyed it."

Lujanne shuttered to think what could have happened had the pressure not been alleviated, and though the two scepters no longer seemed to be in danger of bursting, it was still unnatural to have more than one primal source in a single stone.

"We need to find a way to purge the foreign magic from the scepters, and then purify the Scepter of Radiance. That's why I asked for a mage." she said. "Surely you know a way to transfer magic from one source to another."

"There is a basic one, but I'm unsure how it would work; these are strange circumstances." The mage said, "Still, I suppose there's nothing more to lose now, so we might as well try anything. Follow me."

In leu of an explanation, Lujanne led the way back out the door. They ignored the cold rain as she planted the end of her scepter firmly into the now soft ground. Janai followed suit, looking a bit nervous. She was a warrior and a monarch, not a magic user, so it might not work for her. When she voiced these concerns, Lujanne nodded and took the Scepter of Darkness in her other hand and planted its end into the ground as well. Janai took this as the signal to step back. The mage took a deep breath, tightened her grip on the two staffs, and spoke the words; "Da Imperium."

Janai might have been watching closely, but she was still unprepared for the massive pulse of energy, expressed as a pair of shockwaves emitting from each of the scepters, the power of which caused her to clinch her teeth and close her eyes. It might have been a single gust, but the two elves could feel everything; the might of the earth quaking, the power of the ocean, the vastness of the sky, the secrets of the stars. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the wave stopped, leaving Janai reeling for the moment she could afford to; she bolted forward to steady Lujanne, who would have otherwise fallen over.

"Are you alright?" The younger elf asked, taking one of the staffs in one hand and propping her elder up with the other.

"Yes, I'll be fine." Lujanne told her, allowing herself to be helped back into the house. "It's a rather basic spell, but such an energy burst…"

Before they made it back inside, they examined the scepters; the Scepter of Shadows was back to its original state. The same could almost be said of the Scepter of Radiance, which was finally free of the excessive power beyond what it was meant for, but the stone itself remained black with the corruption of dark magic.

* * *

There was a deep cut above Claudia's eye that, for some reason, stung worse than the rest, and said 'rest' were everywhere, some cuts having clot and others still bleeding. The cut above her eye bled heavily, blood running down her face. The worst of it was a nasty slice down her arm which had bled a lot before finally clotting. She didn't care apart from the annoying stinging, her eyes flitting in satisfaction to the most visible piece of damage she'd inflicted on Amer. His dark skin made any blood difficult to see, but she could see the busted right horn, which was now reduced to a cluster of jagged bone-like matter on his head.

The look in Amer's eyes was feral and animal-like, which she would have used to confirm her father's words about elves being barely better than animals in terms of emotional capacity. His eyes, still unfocused and mad, didn't give her much of a warning before he charged at her, his knife extended toward her. Claudia didn't know what made her think of it, but she opened her arms slightly, a foolhardy move, even she knew. Amer didn't seem to see anything wrong as he tackled her to the ground, his free hand pressing on her throat to choke her. Somehow, she summoned the will to ignore the all-consuming pain of the knife deep in her stomach, and gripped his shirt, pulling herself up.

Claudia's energy was fading, she felt, so she had to work fast. Her knifed hand wrapped around his torso and she plunged her dagger into his back. He looked down at her and smiled as his grip started to slack. Amer laughed weakly, looking almost playful. "You think I care? I've finally done it. I killed you and your brother. The dark mage's line is gone now. It's like he never existed at all. We might be destined fot he dim world together, Claudia, but they'll remember me in stories and songs. I will be immortal."

Claudia had to laugh hearing that this was his goal. "You're an idiot, Amer. Soren has a child. I've accepted my fate, but you'll never get to them now. I might be gone before the sun sets, but Soren will live forever in his child. Oh, and did I mention the mother is an elf?"

Amer's smile fell, and now he looked dangerous. It didn't scare Claudia, though, they were both dying, and they both knew it. "I'll haunt it." His voice was a mixture of struggling and insanity. "I'll haunt them all, every one of them, all of his descendants. They'll suffer for the crimes of their ancestor." Amer closed his eyes and collapsed on top of Claudia, squeezing more of her precious breath from her lungs. In her ear, he whispered; "There will be no peace. Humans don't deserve it."

And with that, the elf silenced and stilled, and his breathing stopped forever. Claudia, refusing to die beneath the weight of this loathsome creature, pushed him off of her and used the last of her strength to crawl away, if only a few feet so that there was a respectable distance between them. The very last shred of her strength was used to flip herself onto her back. She looked at the vast, undisturbed sky, somehow unable to bring herself to even be scared, she was too tired. It was all up to Callum, now, and she took a moment to realize that he and Aaravos had gone, leaving her alone. They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die, and Claudia waited for the warm memories to come, but all she could muster up was a list of regrets.

Her thoughts turning back to Callum, it seemed like a shame. She missed their old friendship. She wished she'd at the very least, been there to see such a drastic physical transformation take place from the stalky, cute little guy she knew growing up, to a tall, powerful, handsome mage. She wanted to go to Ezran and beg his forgiveness for what she'd nearly done almost three years ago. She wished she could have gotten to know Rayla and Zephyr better, if only she'd swallowed her pride while she still had the chance. And the child. Now she'd never be able to watch over it for Soren. Huh. She'd never stopped to just look at the sky before, but now she wondered how far up it went. The sun was now just dipping below the clouds, casting a soft golden light on the blanket of vapor that shielded the world below so completely, that Claudia might as well have been in a realm all her own. It was beautiful.

* * *

Callum awoke slowly, moaning, and wanting to bring his hand to a painful spot on his head. He struggled to his feet and looked around. He was at…Shadow Pass? It looked different in spring, but the constant shadows and the remnants of an avalanche – now a pile of dirt and stones at the foot of a sheer drop – where a dead giveaway. The place was devoid of Earthblood elves, though, and at that moment Callum understood why.

"You've awoken." Came the familiar, deep, despised voice from behind him. Callum steeled himself, remembering what had happened, and he turned around to face Aaravos, looking darkly nonchalant as always.

"Forgive me, but such a small battle arena was proving to be rather vexing." Aaravos said. "Shadow Pass is quite a wonder, isn't it? The perfect place the shadow travel to."

Callum stared at his eyes, which he suddenly realized were shining with the same look that the newly met dark version of himself had sported; a look of sadistic glee, of insanity. Once again, Lujanne's warning came back to him, although Callum hadn't even seen the gleam in his eyes back in the mirror as he watched the man's son trick him into imprisonment. If only Callum had any reason to believe, for even a second, that Aaravos was dim enough to fall for the same trick a second time. For now, all Callum could do was brace himself and try to survive.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I know this is a bit ahead of schedule, but it seems that one of our newest reviewers is a big Claudia fan and has been blazing through my chapters like an inferno, and I wanted to make sure they saw this as soon as possible. I hope that dark version of Callum made up for the fact that we never actually saw any descent into insanity, even though it was one of the first things to be set up. Secondly, a moment's silence, for our poor Claudia. She had her flaws and maybe even went a bit crazy towards the end, but she found her peace and used her last moments to set things right. Dear Bluesta- erm, Claudia, may you not be lonely in the next world. But chins up, my friends, this isn't the last we'll see of her. Ladies and Gents, the ultimate conclusion is coming up in part three. Review.


	48. Look To The Stars Part III

**Chapter Forty-eight: Look To The Stars Part III**

Even though there was still the matter of the dark magic that clung to it, the recovery of the Scepter of Radiance was a huge relief to Janai, who's people would rejoice when she brought it home. She supposed she'd have to gather up her strongest mages to try and purify it. Amaya was now beside her, leaning on her shoulder – according to her, baby dragons were much stronger than they looked, especially after an hour of mindless struggling. As Ezran had managed to calm Kimaare down, she was now in his custody, surrounded by Rayla, Zym, and Kiara, with Gren and Clover keeping an eye on the group. This freed Amaya up to be beside Janai, though now she was looking warily at the scepter of Darkness. She had been horrified at the time to have her sight – her one and only method of communication – threatened. Regardless of how she felt, though, she knew it was important to Janai's people. As if sensing her beloved's unease, Janai turned her tender eyes to the general and ran her fingers through her soft hair in gentle, comforting pets. There was a silent promise in her eyes, that if the scepter was purified, nothing like that would ever happen to her again.

Seeing the loving interaction, Gren thought to himself that the fates must have been doing this on purpose. Clover genuinely needed someone to talk to, that was plain to see, but somehow it made things awkward with how Gren knew he felt. Still, he pulled himself together and turned to Clover.

"So," he started, "Gideon and the kids are back home?"

"Something came up in our palace and Gideon couldn't get away this time." Clover said. "My sister volunteered to watch the kids until I came home. I honestly thought I'd be heading home back now, but I can't leave until Claudia comes back. If not, I…" she trailed off, her face being overtaken by grief.

Gren was ashamed of being unable to sympathize, being single and childless himself. Maybe when the weather let up a little, he'd take her to see Lain and Tiadrin. He looked towards the stairs, where he knew those two Skywing elves were in a room on the next floor. The last he had seen of them had been when Soren's betrothed had cried herself to sleep with her brother keeping close watch over her. Perhaps he could persuade them to come, and Tiadrin could help Zephyr as well. Until then, Gren decided to change the subject back to her family in Del Bar, anything to keep her mind off of Claudia. This seemed to work, starting with an amusing report on her son Faolan, who had taken to raving day and night about 'flying' this and 'magic' that.

* * *

The chilly airwaves trembled as Callum lept out of the way of a blast of pure heat, which was the equivalent of an Aspiro spell for sun magic and would have roasted him. In the next moment, he found himself caught in a thicket of vines that, as far as he knew, hadn't been there a moment ago. It didn't take long for him to realize they were magically controlled by the way they slithered along his body with all the sleekness and speed of snakes. Callum pulled himself up, ripping himself free of the vines enough to cast his own heat spell. The vines withered and became brittle enough to snap away, letting Callum escape.

Aaravos approached slowly, having lost the regal baring, and Callum watched. Wait, what was he doing? Callum quickly, almost sloppily, drew a Fulminus rune and sent it to Aaravos, who dodged easily, his grin increasing. He looked almost amused as Callum backed away to stall for time; he just needed to be able to think.

Aaravos' chuckle was dark. "Did you really think I would forget about your part in my imprisonment, Aarush? My revenge on King Avizandum would have been satisfying, but I suppose this will work just as well."

"I'm not Aarush!" Callum protested, growing frustrated with how his brain seemed to refuse to work. "Aarush has been gone for a long time!"

Callum didn't know what he was trying to do, but once again Aaravos stopped, the confusion returning to his face as if he was trying to remember where he was or what he was doing. If Callum could only create some distance to get away. Of course, on top of that, what was happening back home came into his head, and he saw all but the adults gathered around Kimaare. Separated into two pairs sitting away from the group were Gren and Clover who were talking, Janai and his aunt who were snuggled together in a chair, and, surprisingly, Lujanne. Did he really need a vision now?

* * *

Back in Novus, Kimaare gave an anxious trill, seeing Callum backed into a corner and Aaravos having closed in. She shivered in fear, making herself small in Ezran's lap. Ezran's eyes widened at her small whimpers.

"What's happening?" Kiara asked.

"It's another vision." Ezran explained. "Callum's awake now. Aaravos has him up against a wall. It sounds like they're at Shadow Pass."

All eyes, in their little gathering and out, went to Rayla as she stood up, yelled something about not staying here another minute and ran out the door, which slammed behind her. Mira tried to follow, but Kiara pulled her back. In the commotion, no one could be blamed for missing the way Kimaare's back scales began to shimmer.

* * *

Somehow, out of nowhere, Callum's mind went back to the sword fighting practices with Soren years before. An idea sparked in his mind. A stupid idea, but it was better than nothing. His eyes flitting down to Aaravos' stance, he saw that it wasn't as firm as it could have been if he'd been mentally present. Taking a deep breath for courage, Callum dropped into a kneel, supporting himself on his hands, kicked out one of his legs and swept.

Aaravos wasn't tripped, but he was unbalanced enough to lose his footing. Rather than allow himself to fall, he steadied himself on what seemed to be a smaller version of the wind vortex, shown by his billowing hair and clothes as well as the loose debris flaring up around him. Fortunately, Callum didn't need the elf to trip; the sweep was a distraction to buy himself time to get away, which it had. As Callum ran, he briefly wondered what Soren would have thought of that move. He put that thought away for the moment; it was important that he focus now. It could be his advantage.

Luck seemed to be with him because as he looked around for an idea, his eyes rested on the remains of the rockslide that had happened months ago, now moss-covered and tightly packed as though it had been this way for years. The need to focus was reinforced when a burning pain cut across his cheek; it was an offensive earth spell that produced stiffened leaves that were sharp as blades and send those blades out to the foe. Callum found himself with a small part of his hair trimmed and burning cuts on his face and left arm. He could feel the cuts bleeding.

"Folium Ferrum!" Callum yelled, drawing the appropriate rune and sweeping his hand through the rune. A flurry of sharp, floating leaves appeared from the rune and launched themselves at Aaravos, who didn't even blink as he drew a sun rune that had the leaves bursting into flames, stopping them before they reached him and fizzling out to nothing. He didn't pause in drawing the rune for Aspiro Frigis and Callum barely got out of the way in time to avoid being frozen to the rocks. Seeing those rocks made him remember…if he could just have the time to plan this thing out.

* * *

It was a shock to everyone when Kimaare suddenly tried to leap out of Ezran's arms, flapping her wings as if trying to get away. Whatever cause this fit, it was lost on Ezran. All he knew was that Kimaare was reacting to Callum's battle at Shadow Pass and had suddenly entered another state of panic. She cried in protest but somehow, even without his ability, Ezran knew she didn't really want to fly. She was…demonstrating?

* * *

This vision was more welcome then the last, getting right to the point. Of course, fly! Callum somehow managed to summon his mage wings and shot into the air. Aaravos soon followed on his own mage wings, and Callum felt relief upon realizing that so long as he was in this form, Aaravos couldn't use any other magic. Well, not that he knew of off the top of his head.

Callum flew quickly, dividing his attention between making sure Aaravos continued to follow him, which he did, and surveying the landscape for a place to enact his plan. The breach that separated the human kingdoms and the ruins of Katolis from Xadia wasn't too far away, but he didn't dare take the risk. The Storm Spire, which he saw in the distance was also far too important for this job. The sea of Fluctus, the Moonshadow Forest, the…Mountain range.

Callum had a stop himself from calling out a 'Yes!', lest he give his plan away. Making sure one final time that Aaravos was still on his tail, Callum made a beeline for the mountains. Surely, there had to be something there; a loose piece of earth, or at least something that could be quickly worn away.

Callum dove down to the mountains, luring Aaravos down with him. Something like a stone pillar would have been ideal, but there were only mountains, apart, of course, from the mass grave that had once been a village, now covered in a fresh layer of dirt. It was tempting to stop there for the space it offered, but Callum needed a tight spot were a cave in or rockslide would be devastating.

Finally seeing a small gorge, Callum finally landed, as did Aaravos. Callum backed up against a rock wall, not only for the plan, but from the look on Aaravos' face. He looked fed up, like he now meant to destroy Callum then and there. The younger mage wished he had a moon opal with him, so he could create some kind of illusion.

"Impudent boy." The elf said with a slight growl and drew a simple Fulminus rune. This being a rune Callum would recognize in his sleep, he was able to act quickly; he zipped out of the way, turned around and quickly sent his own Fulminus blast, not at Aaravos, but at the same spot. As the two lightening bolts hit the very same spot, Aaravos looked at Callum in confusion. He was pleased to hear the crackling of stones that spoke of a weakened foundation.

"Playing games now, are we?" Aaravos said, watching as Callum drew, called and sent a third Fulminus spell to the very same spot. Callum had to stop himself from smiling wildly as the plan came together; Aaravos, who had once seemed so smart and calculating, was now too absent to understand what was happening around him. Seeing this gave Callum another idea of how to finish this. "I thought you were better than this, son." That was it, that was just what he needed.

"I'm not Aarush!" Callum called.

Aaravos entered back into the daze while Callum quickly ran from the wall, turned back, and delivered a fourth, longer Fulminus spell to the same spot. Before the lightning dissipated, a rumbling began, and rocks began to break and tumble. A few smaller and ball sized ones at first, but within the next seconds, a torrent of rock and dirt came crashing down.

Callum had the presents of mind to get out and managed to summon is wings, allowing him to fly away from the rockslide. Among the fall, Aaravos seemed to just be coming out of his confusion before he was lost under the rocks. The last thing the pair saw of each other was Callum standing on the ledge of a neighboring cliff, looking over this from a safe distance, and Aaravos's rage-filled face, his mouth opening wide in a scream that, like it's owner, was overtaken by the sheer power of the slide. Soon the path was partially blocked off by fallen rock, the air was thick with dust and dirt, and Aaravos was nowhere to be seen.

By the time the dust settled, Callum was huffing for breath. He now knew to wait until he got his breath back, then he would dig through the rubble to be sure that Aaravos was dead. The rational part of his brain told him that no creature could survive being crushed by a rockslide, but another part countered with the fact that no creature could have survived going over the edge of the Storm Spire, and that had twice proven to be a surprisingly ineffective method of death. In the meantime, he surveyed the damage to his own body, taking note of several stinging cuts and a pain in one of his legs. Something must have fallen on it in the rockslide and Callum had been too distracted to notice. Well, now he certainly noticed, and wondered to himself what he would do if Aaravos had survived and he himself could barely move on foot.

* * *

Worry turned to confusion as Kimaare, who had seemed very alert, if not panicking and going berserk for hours, was now acting very lethargic. Indeed, the constant, unwitting use of her powers had tuckered the little thing out; her eyes were drooping, and she could barely even keep her wings folded. All present watched as Kimaare jumped off of Ezran's lap, found an empty spot of the couch, curled up on a cushion in the manor of a cat or a dog, and promptly went to sleep after letting out a yawn that seemed much too big for such a little thing. This scene would have been cute if any of them knew that the battle had ended and the danger had past, but they wouldn't know until dusk.

* * *

Once Callum finally got his breath back, he looked up to the sky. It only just occurred to him that there was no storm system near here, nor had there been one at Shadow Pass, and the sky was visible through the light layer of cirrus clouds. What really got his attention was how low the sun was getting in the sky, with the shadows starting to grow. If he didn't get home soon, Rayla would have his head for it.

"Callum!" Callum was surprised to hear Rayla's voice and he watched as Umbra appeared into his line of sight with her on his back. He didn't move but smiled as he watched the moon dragon land not far from him. When Rayla quickly got off Umbra and ran to him. Callum hissed in pain as he stood up, the pain in his leg was stabbing. But he managed a few limping steps Rayla's way before she threw her arms around him. Somehow, the pain had become a little more bearable, and all but faded away into a blissful haze when she gave him a deep kiss.

When Rayla pulled away, a slight frown was directed at the cut on Callum's cheek, and she had also noticed the limp. Callum himself didn't have time to reassure her before she brushed the cut with her fingertips, smearing them with small traces of drying blood. "Callum…You're hurt."

Rayla's tone shattered Callum's heart, and indeed she couldn't help but think back to Soren and Ibis, the rest of the Dragonguard or even the queen herself earlier in this awful, awful day. She knew it was almost childish to hope he'd escape unscathed, but…it could have so easily been so much worse.

"I'll be okay." He told her tenderly before he kissed her on the head and continued to hold her, taking comfort in her sweet presence. The lovers were broken out of their reunion by a growl. Umbra had gone down to the gorge and was sniffing at the rubble. He had clearly caught the scent of Aaravos. As he began digging through the rubble with one tentative paw, Callum tightened his grip on Rayla. From this, she knew it might not have been over, and she braced herself to fight.

It was a few seconds before a decent hole was made in the rubble and Umbra stuck his face into the debris, pulling out a form that he then took in his teeth and flew back up to the cliff to present to his friends. Had either Callum or Rayla eaten in the last few hours, the sight might have made them ill. Aaravos was limp, his hair and eyes now devoid of life or magic, bruised and bloodied, with several body parts caved in or flattened, speaking of bones that were broken beyond repair. Just as Callum was wondering what to do with the mangled body, – he surely didn't deserve a proper burial after all he'd done – Umbra tossed the body into the air and it disappeared with a quick snap of his jaws, fixing the problem with a decisive swallow.

"I guess that problem's solved." Callum quipped and Rayla smiled and snuggled into his chest, and Umbra purred as he also brought his face close to Callum, who rewarded him with appreciative pets to his snout before looking down at Rayla. "Is everyone okay back at Novus?"

Rayla looked away, not exactly looking broken up, but sympathetic. Just as she and Umbra had begun their flight to Shadow Pass to look for him, she had caught a glimpse of the summit of the Storm Spire. Granted, she could have been mistaken as it had only been a single look, but she still hadn't liked what she saw. "I'll explain on the way. Right now, it's time to go home."

In spite of the drop in Rayla's mood that told him that there had been some unhappy event, Callum couldn't help but be relieved to hear the word. His head and leg were in pain, his stomach was empty, he was dirty, and his muscles were sore. He smiled. "Home."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Pardon for the quality if it's an issue, between the holiday making work a real slog and the fact that I actually have very little experience with epic fight scenes, – as is probably evident here – I had to slap this together in the two days I had off. Also, I just can't see Callum fighting, he seems like more of a strategist to me. I know I said we'd be done before we reached fifty chapters, but it looks like we'll get an even fifty now, as this finale keeps stretching itself out. Again, sorry if this is anti-climactic, but again, I'm not good with huge fight scenes, and I myself also prefer fights that are won with brains instead of brawn. Review.


	49. Look To The Stars Part IIII

**Chapter Forty-nine: Look To The Stars Part IIII**

It was starting to get dark now. Callum was, unfortunately, prepared for what he found at the top of the spire, especially after what they'd just seen. It was lucky, then, that Umbra was present not only because Callum was too tired to fly, but to assist in the gruesome task awaiting them as the dragon touched down at the Storm Spire.

The first thing Callum and Rayla saw was Claudia, laying on her back, still as a statue, not responding to the feel or sound of the two getting off of the dragon or walking up to her – or limping in Callum's case, with Rayla propping him up with one of his arms around her shoulders. Callum didn't have the energy to run anyway. He knelt down with Rayla's help, taking in Claudia's appearance; she was paler than usual, covered in clotted cuts – including a nasty wound in her stomach that was caked with dried blood – but she looked to be peacefully sleeping in spite of it. The lack of any heat coming from her body, though, told him she was clearly not sleeping.

Neither of them was really surprised, but he did close his eyes and lower his head in a silent moment. Rayla did the same, if only as a common courtesy. She and Claudia had certainly never been friends, but she had been Callum and Ezran's friend once, and she was also Soren's sister. From this, surely there had been something before Rayla had entered the picture; a kindness, maybe even wit or a sense of humor. In the past year or so, Soren sometimes told her that it was too bad that Claudia had chosen to follow Viren, because he could so easily see the girls becoming friends, or at least getting along if they avoided certain topics. At the time, she'd written it off as his usual joking, if not him severely misjudging a situation, but now she couldn't shake the feeling that an opportunity had been lost. Whatever the elf's personal feelings had been, there was a certain melancholy here.

Umbra, sensing his companions' quiet grief, bowed his own head in respect, and didn't protest when Callum and Rayla carried the human to him. With Callum being hurt and Rayla seeming an inch or two shorter than the fallen human, this was done by Rayla wrapping her arms around each of the shoulders to lift her up, with Callum propping up the legs with his free arm By the care they showed, it was clearly a fallen comrade and thus deserving of a proper funeral. Umbra knew what was being asked of him and didn't protest, he allowed Callum to load the human onto his back as Rayla walked over to a shaded spot.

"Callum." Came Rayla's voice, now tinged with discomfort. He had just finished settling Claudia in when he looked back at her. She was frowning down at a figure that they all had seen but had wanted nothing to do with. Amer had grown pale, also with many cuts, a knife still deeply imbedded in his back, and a broken horn. Not far from him was a second knife. Callum gave huff. He didn't like it, but it wouldn't be right to leave that wretch here, if not for Janai's sake than because of how improper it was on principal; enough to practically be an insult to those who called the Storm Spire home.

If Callum had carefully carried Claudia to the dragon, the one dignity he gave Amer was grabbing him by the wrist, along with Rayla who grabbed the other as if it was covered in filth, her other hand holding the two blood-stained knives, and together they dragged the body. Umbra didn't know Amer, but this was all the contrast he needed to know one thing. This elf wasn't worth the care with which the human had been handled. And to rank lower than a human in simple worth, an elf had to have done some hideous things. Even he, who not half an hour ago had devoured the broken body of Aaravos himself, didn't want such a putrid soul on his back. He instead took the body of the elf in his claw, to the surprise of Callum and Rayla. Deeming this as acceptable as anything, the pair finally boarded, and he flew from the top of the spire and descended to Novus.

* * *

Sorrowful cries filled the house. Clover held Claudia tightly. It was the one damper on what would have been a happy reunion, but it was heavy. Instead, Amaya, Ezran and even Janai's tight hugs were ones of relief that Callum had made it. Even Zephyr and Wendel, who had held themselves up upstairs for hours had come down to at last see what all the fuss was and were so happy to see Callum was safe. Besides that, the warmth of an insulated house was lovely after this day and the smell of dinner cooking had his and Rayla's mouths watering.

"You came back!" yelled a small, unfamiliar voice from above. All eyes save Clover's – who was still focused on her daughter – turned to the balcony upstairs, seeing nothing at first. What they then saw was Mira, still wearing Callum's scarf, running as fast as she could down to stairs and flinging herself at Callum and Rayla, who each looked astonished. Amaya, who had only looked to the balcony in reaction to the others, was the only one of the spectators who didn't wear an amazed expression. The little elf soon happily found herself in the space that was quickly becoming the most secure place in the world for her; between her two guardians as they embraced, encircling her in warmth and protection as if she was the most precious thing in the world. She'd been so scared that she'd never see them again.

A sniffle pulled them out of their bliss, and Callum pulled away from his girls to turn around, only for the two to be hit with guilt. What right did they have to cherish their reunion while Clover cried over her lifeless daughter? It was a painful sight that made Callum want to take them back in his arms and never let them go again. It brought back the losses of Soren and Ibis that morning, which seemed so much longer ago, but led to his remembering the revival spell.

Callum didn't need to think about it before he knelt down before them, drew the constellation-like rune and spoke the words "Reduc Illas." He reached through the rune, dissolving it, but his hand had become bathed in a soft blue light when he did. Taking this as a good sign, he gently placed over her heart. He closed his eyes, thinking that it wasn't right that Claudia couldn't reconcile with her mother. It made his heart hurt. His father and mother, King Harrow, Ibis, Soren; he had lost so many people he never got to say goodbye too. These two didn't deserve that. This had to work. He drew away when, after a moment, he felt a slow, slight heartbeat. He backed away to give mother and daughter their space.

Clover's eyes stretched in wonder as Claudia's eyes slowly opened. She looked at Callum in horror for a moment, and Claudia's eyes also lazily slid down to him questioningly.

"It's star magic." Callum quickly said, "It's for saying goodbye. You guys only have a few minutes."

For a few seconds, there was silence. Surprisingly, Claudia, her eyes and voice soft, was the first to speak. "I met Soren on the other side. He says 'hi'."

"Please, forgive me, Claudia." Clover said, her tears having never stopped, and they didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. "I really shouldn't have left you and your brother with your father."

"It's okay." Claudia said, for the first time since she was a child, looking her mother in the eyes. Tears welled up in her now dull green eyes and she gave a weak but sincere smile. "I'm…happy. Happy that I at least got to see you again, Mom." The word 'mom' made Clover smile, but it didn't last long as her daughter's smile disappeared. Her voice became small and breathy. "This pain." She said, trying to look down at her stomach wound. Her tears came faster, now falling without her needing to blink. "This is what I-I-I put them through. I-I owe this to them."

Claudia finally moved, pushing herself up on weak arms until she was sitting up, and she reached for the Scepter of Darkness. Janai, perhaps understandably distrustful, allowed human to draw the staff to her but did not release her own grip on it. Claudia held the blackened stone just beneath her face and tipped herself so that her tears fell onto the stone. Though Clover's mournful eyes remained fixed on Claudia, everyone else watched, amazed, as the tears pierced through the blackness, allowing pokes of bright yellow and orange light to seep through in small, concentrated rays. More tears fell and the pokes grew into holes that expanded, bleeding into each other to reveal the sun magic bound in glass, until not a shred of darkness remained. Claudia let go of the staff and as Janai looked at it in wonder, she once again leaned back onto Clover. She released the staff, and Janai took it back, mystified. How had she…?

Feeling her energy draining, Claudia looked at Callum. There wasn't time now for everything she wanted to say, but there was time for a final request.

"Callum, I-I've done terrible things." She said, the cry returning to her voice even though her tears had been spent. "I don't know where I'll end up, but…bury me under that birch tree. Next to Soren, okay? That way, we'll never be apart again." Callum, suddenly wishing to comfort his old friend but not daring to interrupt, only nodded. Claudia smiled at him, and for a moment, Callum and Ezran could almost pretend that she was her old self again; that playful, goofy girl who had once been so hard to even get mad at. She closed her eyes and leaned into her mother's embrace. The warm, loving touch was the last sensation Claudia felt before she returned to the afterlife. Clover sniffed and kissed her on the forehead.

For maybe a minute, no one spoke. Callum and Ezran couldn't help but remember the girl who had been their friend, which led to the brothers needed to whip away some tears. Soft-hearted Zephyr also let out a couple of cries, and Rayla, still largely unsure of her feelings about this death, only placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Everyone else just stood with bowed heads in mourning, with the exception of Mira who was starting to nod off.

"We need to go tell Opeli." Callum said. He had barely turned to the door when Amaya stopped him with an hand on his shoulder. Gren translated her signs.

"Hold on, Callum, you're not going anywhere on that leg." He said. "Besides, you've done more then your fair share today. I'll go, you get fixed up in the meantime and dinner's on the table."

The mention of food coupled with the fact that, it was true, Callum could barely walk like this, gave him no choice but to concede. Amaya and Gren left without another word. Wendel, having seen the limp before, looked Callum over quickly.

"It looks like you just twisted something." Wendel said. "Just sit down and I can have you fixed up in a few minutes."

Callum did so as Wendel returned upstairs, finding a seat next to Kimaare, who was sleeping soundly. She briefly woke up and purred to see him back safe before falling back asleep. When her scales sparkled like stars, somehow Callum knew that the little star dragon had been granting him luck all day. Without it, who knows how long he would have really lasted.

"Atta girl." Callum said, giving her a scratch near the frills that had her stretching out in comfort. Wendel soon came back with a poultice for Callum's cuts and some sort of dust for the leg. His leg with the first thing to be healed, sprinkling the dust over it, and performing some sort of spell that made it tingle, but it worked, he just needed to keep off it for a few minutes. The poultice was cold and had the reek of herbs, and by how some stung and others didn't, clearly something was happening. The whole process took around five minutes.

Clover and Zephyr were talking softly, and it seemed Zephyr had told Clover about her pregnancy by the tender way she smiled and hugged the girl with her one free arm. Rayla had taken Mira into the kitchen because it was getting too late to wait, so she'd be eating now.

"Callum." Came Janai's voice, and his attention went to her. It was clear she was trying to be regal, even though they both knew there was no need for it, they were practically family. "The Sunfire elves thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The Scepter of Radiance has been recovered and restored. Lujanne and I shared our plans, and first thing tomorrow we will return both scepters to our people."

"They'll probably be happy about it," Callum said, "but what about Amer? Are you taking him home?"

"A sun dragon already came to pick him up." She said, quickly, as if getting the explanation out of the way so she didn't have to think of his any longer. "He is to be buried in an unmarked grave back home, without a funeral or mourners."

"Speaking of dragons…" Ezran trailed off, with Zym at his side looking expectant.

"I had Umbra go find Queen Zubeia." Callum explained, only just noticing that the poultice had dried. "She should be on her way back to the Storm Spire now."

"Hear that, Zym?" Ezran asked, and Zym perked up. "Your mom's coming back soon, and you can go home. Everything's safe now." Zym yipped happily.

"Okay, Callum, it looks like those cuts are going to scar, but your leg's as good as new." Wendel said, and Callum rose to his feet without trouble.

"Come on, let's go eat." the mage said, the hollowness in his stomach now starting to get uncomfortable. "I think Aunt Amaya might be a little longer. No point in waiting."

* * *

Janai proudly held the Scepter of Radiance beside Lujanne who held the Scepter of Shadows. Together, the light of the sun and moon lite up the night quite well; Callum, Rayla, Amaya and Gren had set to work coordinating a second last-minute funeral, as Claudia had requested, beside Soren under the birch tree.

It was a much smaller turn out than Soren and Ibis had received, partly because of the hour. This long, grueling day had at last come to an end. Clover, Callum, Ezran, Rayla, Amaya, Gren, Zephyr, Janai, Lujanne and the two young dragons were the only mourners present; Wendel, who had never really known Claudia, volunteered to stay at the house to look after Mira, who, after dinner, had been tucked into bed before they left. On Claudia's coffin sat two feathers – brown and gray – and as the coffin was lowered and buried, Callum bowed his head.

"Callum, look." Rayla's voice whispered, making Callum look at her; she was looking at something far away, and Callum's eyes followed her gaze. This prompted him to direct Clover to do the same, and her eyes shown, and soon everyone was seeing it. A trio of brightly shinning stars, seeming to be hovering just above the tree. One of the stars gleamed a bit brighter than the others and gave a little blink. Immediately, the old elven superstition about stars came to his mind. While he wasn't sure who else present knew the superstition, let alone believed it, it was clear that this sight was a comforting one to everyone, who all seemed to relax and smile for the first time that day.

It might have been Zephyrs imagination, but as she watched, her hands covered her lower abdomen with a sort of reverence. Huh. She could have sworn she felt Soren's strong arms around her, his hands over her own, helping her to cradle the precious life within her.

A shadow cast over the village and lifted in a moment. It was Queen Zubiea, who's scales blended into the night sky perfectly, and who they watched return to the Storm Spire. It was difficult to tell from here, but she seemed to be well again. Zym and Kimaare erupted in a burst of excited yips and calls when they saw her; Zym took off with more grace then one would assume for his young age, and Kimaare followed him, a bit more clumsily, into the sky. The two were watched fondly until they disappeared from view as two little dots just approaching the mountain.

* * *

At last. At last, this day was truly over. Aaravos and Amer were gone, the Dragon Queen, Prince and Princess were home safe, and…and Claudia was finally at peace. As were Soren and Ibis.

By all accounts, Callum should have been out like a light after a day like today, but something was keeping him up. Maybe it was Aaravos. It was an unsettling thought to think of someone dying in the throes of insanity. The man had been so sinister and calculating, and he had been so out of it that Callum, who only had luck, a handful of spells and not a scrap of combat training, had bested him; a powerful archmage of untold centuries. Even back in the mirror, the Aaravos from millenniums ago had seemed more collected and dangerous. What must it have been like?

Maybe it had been that huge rush of power all at once, it must have done some kind of extra damage to his brain. Surely that wasn't the way primal magic worked. He hadn't even shown understanding of the arcanums. In fact, something in him had seemed almost…human. He had been too impatient for the sky, prideful for the moon, cynical for the sun, stubborn for the ocean, and selfish for the earth. Huh. Callum felt a small epiphany as he realized that these were all traits common to humans. He would have to look in on that someday.

For now, he needed to get to sleep. Before he could begin unraveling some age-old divide between the races, he still had four primal sources to master, which meant a trip around Xadia. He purposely neglected telling Ezran this and that he wanted to take him along with them this time to give him his little adventure, otherwise he'd get no peace in the meantime. Even before that, they all needed a nice, long rest.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: And so, the story proper comes to a close. "Reduc Illas" is Latin for 'bring them back.' And to clarify with Aaravos, I actually had Azula in mind when writing his downfall; you know how she's built up as this cunning, manipulative little psychopath but ends up so far off her rocker that she's defeated when a character lures her into what is an almost comically obvious trap, she's just too far gone to notice. We have one more chapter to go to truly end things off on. In the meantime, anyone care to speculate on how Claudia was able to purify the Scepter, or even how she knew it would work? Maybe she acquired the knowledge during her hours in the afterlife. Or maybe _she_ has elven ancestry. Maybe dark magic can be healed, so to speak, by true repentance, which would tie in with that 'power of love' thing from way earlier. Hmmmm. See you guys in a few days. Review!


	50. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Novus had grown a lot in ten years.

Faolan slowly rode through the town, looking at everything as though he wasn't planning to live here for the next few years, at least. His memory of the place might have been a little fuzzy, but he was able to pick out more recent additions to the village. Those fruit stands hadn't been there before, and neither had that library or that fountain gushing crystalline water into the air, creating small rainbows in the pool below. While the village was still bustling with humans, there was now also a healthy mix of elves. They were mingling, humans and elves, in a way he had never seen before. He seemed to remember a lingering unease, if that was the right word. Elves and humans had been civil with each other and cooperated, but it seemed to him at the ripe age of six that it wasn't quite as relaxed as a town should be. That was no longer the case. Friends were bantering, couples were being cute, children chased each other around in games of tag and war games.

War. The war between the humans and Xadia. As Faolan passed what seemed to be a school that was currently out for the summer, he wondered how they taught it to their children. If the story in Xadia was the same as the Four Kingdoms. He had been very small when the fifth kingdom, Katolis, had been destroyed, but had soaked up stories of the following years like a sponge. The White Mage, the great human archmage, had battled and defeated Aaravos, a creature of darkness who had fooled the humans into believing he was a friend centuries ago.

The children of Del Bar, and he imagined the other three kingdoms as well, all knew about and were fascinated by the White Mage, and Faolan had always been proud to have seen him in person, even if the mage probably didn't remember him now. He had learned not to brag, though; whenever he brought it up to anyone else, many of the kids who even believed him were jealous, with only a small handful reacting the way he wanted. Ever since he had witnessed that wing spell, he had dreamed of becoming an archmage himself, of the day he would take flight after this great man. That was why he had come to Novus. It was just him, his horse, and the provisions his mother had insisted on for the trip.

He recognized the house, but just barely. It was almost as big as the council building now, where he remembered a hut that had been smaller than this. He dismounted his horse and approached the door. This was it. This would make or break his dreams. All he had to do was knock and –

"Hello?" Faolan gave a startled yelp and practically jumped around. Looking at him was a sturdy-looking dark-skinned man with wild brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"Oh! Uh…Excuse me, my – my name is Faolan. Soren's brother." Faolan stammered, figuring his brother had spent the last few years of his life as a guard for the village, and thus was his best chance at…honestly, what was Faolan trying to do here? Impress? Explain himself?

"Soren?" came a woman's voice from, of all places, above them. Faolan followed the older man's gaze upward and was surprised to see a pair of descending Skywing elves. More specifically, an adult woman and a young girl of maybe eight or nine years. Faolan was immediately enraptured to see the wings – huge, gray wings – as they melted away back into a pair of arms. He couldn't help but be nervous, he'd never interacted with an elf before, at least not that he remembered. The elf woman looked at him with interest. "Soren was your brother?" she asked. The elf child's eyebrows raised; she was interested but kept quiet. "Then you must have come from the human kingdom of Del Bar?"

"Yes." Faolan nodded and shook her hand when she offered it to him. "My mother was married to a man in Katolis for a while and had two kids with him, but she left, came home, married my father and had my sister and I."

"I see. My name is Zephyr, his…widow, I suppose. Your mother came to see us after…after it all happened." She said as she let go of his hand, her eyes becoming downcast and her expression melancholy. "How are your family?"

"They're doing fine. My sister, Gwyneth, was upset with me for leaving, though. Wants me to write every day." Faolan chuckled at this and the two adults smiled. "You should come to Del Bar to see them. I promised I'd take you both over to see everyone from time to time."

"That sounds lovely. I'm sure Claudia would love to meet her father's side of the family." Zephyr said and turned playfully to her young companion. Now that Faolan looked at the smaller one, was she even an elf? She had the lower horns and pointy ears of a Skywing elf, but five fingers and a human complexion. On her back were folded blond wings. Beyond that, there was a definite resemblance to Faolan's brother, with hair the same blond as her wings and the same bright blue eyes.

"Claudia?" Faolan asked and looked at the little half-elf. He couldn't help the smile that came to his face as he remembered his mother weeping for joy the day a letter had arrived for them about a granddaughter being born. Not only that, but named for her aunt, his half-sister. It was surly what Soren would have wanted.

"That's me." The halfling said, giving him a friendly smile tinged with just a hint of awkwardness, and this seemed to increase her resemblance to Soren. "So…you're my uncle?"

"Half-uncle, I guess." Faolan said, shaking her hand as he had with her mother. "My name is Faolan." With the introductions out of the way, he turned back to the adults. "Uh, this is still the White Mage's home, isn't it?"

"It is." the man gave him a slight nod. He also extended his hand in greeting and Faolan took it. "I don't suppose you remember me. My name is Ezran, the White Mage's equally amazing little brother and new father of one."

"We know, Ez, you've been telling everyone all week." Zephyr put in, trying to stifle a small laugh.

"But little Ava is so perfect." Ezran half-argued, half-gushed, and Zephyr rolled her eyes fondly.

"Our resident animal doctor slash whisperer." she gave a sarcastic production to their guest, holding up one hand as if to introduce a performer at a show. He didn't seem bothered and she straightened up. "You have business with the, uh, White Mage? By the way, around here, we just call him Callum."

"I want to train under him to become an archmage." Faolan stated proudly, expecting words of encouragement and pats on the back. Not the concerned looks the two gave each other. "Well?"

Ezran was the first to speak. "Why don't we show you inside? I'll get Callum for you, you three can just relax in the sitting room."

* * *

And so, Faolan followed Ezran, Zephyr and Claudia inside. He remembered this place a little from when he was a child. The same open doorway leading to the kitchen, the same furniture in the sitting room, but with a few added effects. There was now a closed door on the wall opposite the kitchen, another new doorway in the back, leading to what looked like a den, a large bookshelf against the wall beside the way, displaying books and trinkets too diverse to come from a single place. Finally, there was evidence everywhere of small children such as scattered toys or misplaced shoes.

"I'll see if he's in his study. Be right back." Ezran said as he opened and went through the previously closed door, after which the three guests took their seats on a couch. After just seconds, Ezran emerged from the room, taking care to shut the door behind him, looking sheepish. "Can't find him." The man admitted. "Sorry, Faolan."

"Ezran! Is that you?" came a voice from the kitchen. "I-I've totally got this, don't get me wrong, but…can you come in here for a minute?"

Ezran disappeared into the kitchen and the three watched before he reemerged with an infant in arm. Trailing behind him was, to Faolan's surprise, a Moonshadow elf child, no older than Claudia. It struck him that he hadn't yet seen a Moonshadow elf since entering the village, before remembering that they weren't typically ones for mingling with other creatures. He had fair skin, orange eyes and the blue marks on his cheeks were sharp arches. The baby seemed to be a year old and had a shock of white hair as well. For a moment, Faolan thought it was another Moonshadow elf, but he then noticed that it had no horns or markings.

"Well, I guess this is as good an introduction as any." Ezran shrugged. "Faolan, this is Asriel, my brother-in-law, and this is our niece, Kiara. Asriel, this is Claudia's uncle, Faolan."

Asriel didn't greet Faolan, he just turned away with crossed arms an embarrassed, sulky look. "It wasn't my fault, Callum and Rayla said she'd sleep until they were back!"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot they were going out for a while today." Ezran sighed, the sheepish look returning to his face as he looked at Faolan. "When did they say they'd be back?"

"Noon. Look, this doesn't prove anything." Asriel persisted. "I was caught off guard, it doesn't mean I'm not responsible. I really thought I'd just be dealing with…" He trailed off, a look of horror coming over his face. "Oh no, no, no, no, no! Not good, not good, not good!" Without any further explanation, he bolted up the stairs and from the balcony upstairs they could see him opening doors franticly. "Sarai? Ibis? Where are you? Harrow, if you can hear me, say something! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

A small boy looking no older than six came charging into the room from the den, looking fearful. Along with the green eyes and lack of markings, the boy also sported four-fingered hands, a head of white hair with a pair of stubby horns just poking out and pointed ears. He looked at Asriel and called up to him. "What's going on?"

The older boy paused is his search and looked down to the sitting room, his eyes zeroing in on the child. "Harrow!" He quickly descended the stairs, looking aggravated at the child. "Where are your brother and sister?"

"Well, Kiara's with Uncle Ezran, they're right there, Mira's out with friends like you told her –" Harrow started, his expression trying to remain innocent, but inside he was clearly enjoying this as Asriel got more and more riled up.

"No!" Asriel shouted, startling not only Harrow, but the visitors as well. "Ibis and Sarai!"

"Oh. If I knew that, it wouldn't be hide-and-seek." Harrow said, his innocent façade now broken by a mischievous grin. Asriel let out a long, exasperated groan.

"Alright, you two, game's over!" Asriel called into the den. "Come on out." Out of the den came the sound of shuffling, along with a pair of small voices.

"Ibis!" squeaked a little girl's unhappy voice. "I told you not to hide in the fireplace!"

"Hey, Uncle Asriel was supposed to be watching us!" a little boy's voice defended. "It's his fault if Mom and Dad get mad."

"Throwing me under the carriage, huh?" Asriel asked and went marching into the den looking fed up. A yelp got everyone's attention before Asriel came back out with a pair of children, both clearly younger than Harrow, being dragged by their arms. Apart from one child having paler skin and the other having shorter, messier hair, they looked very much alike. Same brown hair, pointy ears, small horns and violet eyes. The scruffier looking one was eyeing Asriel with irritation to match the older boy's own, not to mention covered from head to toe in soot and now tracking the stuff everywhere.

"Ibis, Sarai." Claudia greeted the two. "This is Faolan, my uncle. Uncle Faolan, the twins." Sarai, suddenly looking fearful, made a dash for where Ezran now sat, climbing onto his lap and hugging him fiercely, burying her face into his torso. She was now silent, despite the fact that it had clearly been her arguing with her brother in the den. Ezran chuckled and hugged the child to him.

"She's just shy. Don't worry, she's like this with every new face." He said. Sarai turned her head to peek back at Faolan, snapping her face back to her uncle when she realized the stranger was watching her. Ibis had turned away from his younger uncle to give Faolan a suspicious stare, the effect of which was harshly mitigated by how dirty the kid was. "And Felix here definitely has that Moonshadow elf distrust in him."

All eyes turned to the door when it started opening, Asriel going pale. Faolan watched as a trio entered the house, and he just recognized the White Mage. He was older now. He didn't have a scar on his face before, nor that red mark on his neck that ran under his shirt, but it was absolutely him. His companions were a Moonshadow elf woman who's face he had committed to memory as a real live elf, the first one he'd truly been able to take in, even if she had been unconscious at the time. The third was an Earthblood elf girl he didn't recognize.

"Asriel, we're back." The woman announced. Faolan deduced that this one with her white hair, horns and facial markings, was another full-blooded elf, this one sporting decorative silver rings at the bases of her horns. The pair's eyes swept over the room, taking in the soot tracks, their unhappy sitter, and the stranger who was under their very dirty son's suspicious glare. The woman raised an eyebrow at Asriel. "So, responsible, huh?"

"Sis, you told me the baby would sleep until you got home!" Asriel accused. "I couldn't handle all four of them!"

"You know, As," the older elf said to him, "you don't have to babysit. I know Mira offered."

"I've got this, Mira, I promise, you go find your friends." The Earthblood elf said in a voice that sounded like she was repeating something mockingly. Faolan found himself intrigued by this one. She looked to be his own age, pale-skinned with green markings. Her horns were like a pair of smooth sticks that forked into two branches each at the tips. Around her neck was a loosely draped red scarf that Foalan could have sworn the White Mage had once worn. She took a moment to look at him with startlingly pretty green eyes before she turned to the couple. "Mom, Dad, for future reference, I'm okay with watching the kids. Asriel included." Asriel sputtered as the White Mage and his wife exchanged an amused look. His embarrassment seemed to grow when Claudia began laughing along with Mira.

Before this conversation could go on, Zephyr interjected. "Callum, you've met Soren's half-brother, Faolan?" When the White Mage looked at Faolan, the younger boy's heart began to race with anticipation and he so desperately wanted to make a good impression. Unfortunately, all he could do was raise a hand in greeting.

"Hello, Faolan." The man said in a friendly way. "It's been a long time. Is your family here with you?"

"N-no, sir, it's just me." Faolan found it humiliating how shaky his voice was, complete with a crack on the word 'me'. Still, he stood up to properly face the older man and forced his voice to steady. "White Mage, I-I have come seeking your tutelage. When I saw you perform that wing spell as a child, I knew what I was born for. Becoming an archmage is my destiny."

His heart sank when the White Mage, like his brother and Zephyr, did not seem thrilled at this prospect, just watched him for a moment. He then turned back to the others. "Rayla, I'm going to talk to Faolan, can you get Ibis into the tub? Ez, Claudia and Asriel can clean up around here and Mira, can you make good on your word and keep the kids under control for now?"

Receiving the desired affirmations from each of them and a quick kiss from his wife, Faolan watched as Rayla lifted Ibis up by the back of his shirt and carried him upstairs to what was presumably a washroom. Ezran and Claudia dragged an unhappy, whining Asriel to a small broom closet and Mira was given the baby and set to work rounding up her remaining siblings on the couch, saying something about reading a book of ancient tales.

* * *

Following the White Mage into his study, Faolan beheld wall-to-wall shelves filled with books, a desk covered in large notebooks and flawlessly detailed sketches, and cupboards no doubt filled with more magical things. Next to the desk was a tall, pointed window that ran from about a foot off the floor to just below the ceiling, letting daylight into the room. On the desk was a cluster of small portraits of him with his brother, his wife, and their children.

"First of all," the mage began, as he opened one of the cupboards and pulled out a fancy-looking box. He brought the box over to the desk and set it down. "you can relax with that White Mage stuff. Just Callum is fine."

"O-okay." Faolan said, trying not to sound too honored. "Uh, Callum."

Callum smirked at this before he motioned for the boy to come closer. As he did, Callum opened the box and pulled out what looked like a toy; a little wooden cube with the symbols of the six primal sources. Faolan was about to list them off to impress his future mentor before Callum brought the cube to his chest and Faolan stopped in amazement. Each rune lit up with a different color in a dazzling display.

"What is it?" Faolan asked, his eyes wide.

"Not important right now is what it is." Callum said and the glowing stopped as he drew the cube away from him. He studied it for a moment. He saw no point in beating around the bush and he looked Faolan in the eye. He found himself repeating the words that his old mentors had told him all those years ago. "Faolan, being an archmage is dangerous. That much power makes it difficult to draw the line between right and wrong. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes." Faolan stood tall. Though this was hardly reassuring to Callum, he never had been one for arguments. Surely the kid would see in time weather it was really worth it or not. Perhaps the mage might even be able to talk him down to just the standard one or two arcanums rather than all six. He seemed especially set on the sky arcanum, so that was one already picked.

"Okay." Callum relented. "We start tomorrow morning. Ezran can show you to a nearby inn in the meantime. I'd offer you a room here, but as you can probably see, we don't exactly have the space. Be here at dawn for your first lesson."

Faolan grinned wildly at this quick acceptance, his heart nearly bursting with joy. "I won't let you down, Whi – uh, Callum! You'll see, I'll be soaring with dragons in no time!"

Callum took it as a warning about this when, like an energetic little shot, the kid took off, bursting through the door to talk to Ezran. Maybe he was still too young to be thinking it, but Callum could still remember when it seemed he had boundless energy like that. He walked over to the window when he heard a small commotion outside. When he saw Faolan already dragging a bewildered-looking Ezran out of the house, Callum thought that the kid must already have some magic of his own to be able to move that fast.

A pair of shadows – familiar to the brothers but new to Foalan – caused everything to stop and Foalan gawked in amazement as he looked up. Callum followed his gaze to see Zym and Kimaare, both having grown quite a bit in the last decade, flying overhead, doing loops, sharp turns and other simple tricks in the air. Zym was taking the charge in their play as always, but it was still difficult to believe that Kimaare had once been so reserved and timid. A pair of joyous cries rang out, and suddenly, Callum could hardly wait himself for that first flying lesson.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: And, in the immortal words of Walt Disney himself, that's your story. People have been saying 2020 has been, to put it nicely, a bad year, especially to open a new decade. Well, hopefully this story has made this year a little bit more bearable for everyone, and that the holidays will be able to carry us through these last weeks. I certainly hope you all enjoyed The White Mage, just as much as I enjoyed writing it for you. I must confess that despite the sequel hooks, I have no plans for a sequel at the moment, but if anyone wants to take up the mantle, I'd love to see what any of you could create. One last time, Review!


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